MPH: Reunion
by Pwn28
Summary: set between MP2:Echos and MP3:Corruption, it is about all the hunters from MPH and What is going on with thier lives. Its action packed, after the first chapter, at least. So read on after that! Final Update: Chapters 23-29 have finally been uploaded. Unfortunately chapter 29 is unfinished and likely never will be. I moved on from this story like 5 years ago.
1. Chapter 1

It had been two years since the Almbic incident. Spire had spent all that time searching the galaxy for any clue, every hint of any remains of his long lost race. He was just about to give up the chase when a mysterious message appeared one day and told him the whereabouts of the Diamont. Spire knew it was to good too be true, too convenient for someone just tell him of some random planet at the edge of the galaxy filled with his kind. He also knew what the consequences could be just following mysterious directions. But Spire was desperate. He would try anything just about now, anything to learn what happened to his race.

A floating head appeared on Spire's Holographic display. "Hunter Spire, I will give you one and only one warning: leave this sector before get yourself killed!"

"Are you threatening me little bug?" Spire asked bemused.

Trace looked annoyed, "It's not me you should fear. You are going right through Kriken territory."

"So, I've defeated you plenty of times. How bad could two or three of you be?"

"Try hundreds of me."

"I'll be fine," at this Spire cut off the communication.

Spire was just about to enter orbit around the planet where his race supposedly was when another call came.

"Yes."

Another floating head just like traces only this one was blue with a green eye appeared on the display, "Outsider, you are illegally passing through Kriken territory."

"Yeah, about that, its like you said, I'm just passing so if you'll let go now I'd appreciate it."

"If you don't register I will be forced to attack you, and trust me you don't want to square off against me." There was a very menacing tone in his voice that sent chills all through Spire.

"Look I've fought your friend Trace and trust me, you guys aren't as bad as you think you are!"

The Kriken looked completely taken aback. Good, I showed him, thought Spire.

"Oh, in that case, you can be on your way, Sorry to have bothered you."

"Hmm," Spire was about to turn off his display.

"And outsider."

"Yeah…"

"Thank you." It was the way the Kriken said it. Spire knew something was terribly wrong, but like with everything else he pushed it too the back of his mind and concentrated on finally finding something of his race.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two,

Spire found a good place to land. It was an island in the middle of a lava swamp, literally a swamp there were strange red weeds growing all over the place. Spire walked through the lava when he heard a crack. He spun around; there standing in the middle of the lava was a Diamone. Spire didn't believe it; he _couldn't _believe it. Well at least he didn't until his kin shot him. "What the-!" Then another one shot at the one who shot Spire. Then, chaos ensued. Spire had no choice but to fight back. It was everyone on everyone, there weren't even sides to this battle. Spire killed, his own kin, at least 10. Then he rolled into his dialanche and fought that way. All the time he fought he the same thought kept returning to his mind, how, oh how in the universe could this have happened to his race. His own flesh and blood, or… rock or whatever he had in him. Hadn't he always imagined being welcomed back with open arms? He would have never, not in a million years expected this kind of welcoming.

Spire was erupted out of his thoughts be an enormous Diamone who kicked (Kicked!) his dialanche into a wall. Spire just hung there for a second watching the giant tear apart everyone else. It was at least 15 feet high and extremely fat for a rock. It didn't even bother using guns. He just pulled out arms and bashed in heads.

Spire transformed back into his biped as he dropped 50 or so feet. He watched to giant wishing earnestly that he had the imperialist with him. As though by magic a red beam struck the giant in his tracks. Spire looked up just in time to see Trace turn invisible. He would have to avoid him.

Spire reentered the battle now with more enthusiasm. He charged up his magmaul and fired it at a diamone with green spikes. The burning stopped quicker than usual. The diamone turned to face Spire who quickly got into the dialanche and rolled into the lava. Green spikes did the same. They rolled around each other trying to get to the other without hurting himself. Someone shot at Spire's foe and in the confusion Spire got his kill. A red beam (which Spire knew came from the imperialist) passed inches over his head and straight into another's who was just about to strike him.

Suddenly giant hands (at least the looked like hands) made of lava shot out of the swamp. They began grabbing Diamone at random. As soon as they grabbed someone they dived back into the swamp with a splash. Mostly everyone ran for the hills in the distance while the monster hands grabbed the others who were to absorbed in their fights. Spire fighting his instincts to run for his life instead ran to his ship. He was nearly there when out popped a hand. It was coming down on spire when a red beam went through it. Spire gasped. Blood was pouring out of the hand! As if from shock the hand sprang back. Spire seized his chance and he ran for his ship. No! He tripped over one of the red vines and fell in the lava. Spire looked up, the weed he tripped over was torn in half… it was bleeding. It dawned on him those weren't weeds at all – they were vanes! Disgusted Spire jumped into his ship, took off and flew towards the ledge Trace was on. The hand had apparently discovered who shot it, for it was trying to get to him. Spire shot rockets at it and it eventually sunk back into the lava. "Get in!" Spire called to Trace. Trace looked reluctant but eventually scrambled into the ship. Spire closed the hatch and sped off into the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Trace and Spire flew in silence each absorbed in their own thoughts and fears. Spire was mumbling about the Diamones and Trace couldn't stop thinking about the past and his terrible mistake.

"Why did you follow me Trace?" Spire asked.

"I didn't, I was here long before you came. I've been hiding here for at least a year."

"What! Why?"

Trace sighed, "Spire, do you know why I was looking for the Ultimate Power?"

"Probably assigned to bring it back the Kriken Empire, am I right?"

"Partially, I was in the middle of a rite of passage. Every Kriken goes through it when they turn a certain age. We are supposed to find a planet for the Empire to take over. When I heard about the Ultimate Power I got greedy and thought I could bring it back. Imagine, Everyone else would advance our race but only I would make it Invincible. I would have been a legend."

"But, Samus got to it first… Just wondering, are you mad at her for getting it?" Spire asked.

Trace looked at Spire, "If it weren't for her we wouldn't be here today." Spire instinctively felt his chest where the Gorea got him. "So no, I forgive her. Well, anyway, the rite of passage is timed. If you don't complete it in time you will not just be banished from the empire, but you will be hunted and slain. My time was up before I got to Arterra for the first time. By that time I was desperate, I couldn't bear the thought of being away from my family, friends and… others. But like you said, Samus got it first and now I must hide from my own race."

Spire looked down, "I'm sorry." Then spire gasped and the ship jerked.

"What!" Trace asked.

"Nothing!" Spire practically yelled.

Wary Trace looked outside. "This is my stop Spire."

Spire looked around, he was over a canyon. "What, here? Why here?"

"The Krikans will have followed you here. I want to be as far away as possible when they find you."

"Alright." Spire descended into the canyon and hovered above the ground.

"Thanks," Trace got out and looked around.

Spire looked down, "Hey… if you need anything… I'll be on this planet awhile."

"Spire look, I've been here for a year. They have been like this for a long time. You can't change them."

Spire just looked at him, "we'll see." And with that he was off.

Trace walked through the canyon. His ship was just at the end. A diamone in Dialanche form dropped just in front of Trace. Before he had time to think Trace was slammed into the wall. The diamone chased Trace through the canyon. Trace transformed into the triskellion and leaped behind a rock. The dialanche rolled up to the rock. He unrolled back to his biped form. He was confused, where had the skinny red guy run off to? Unfortunately he never found out. A red beam struck him through the head. And he fell to the ground. Trace shook his floating head. "That's what you get when you hit me," he said as he walked towards his ship.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four,

Samus hid behind a pillar. "What are you doing here?" she asked the person who hated her more than anything in the universe: Sylux.

"What else, making sure you die," he replied. Two Galactic Federation troopers ran by and Sylux turned into the lockjaw and chased after them. Moments later he returned, "It doesn't hurt that the GF stationed troopers for me to kill either."

The two of them were on a planet covered in ice; all except the equator, which is a very grassy and warm place to be. But of course Samus and Sylux were in the ice part. Samus had come here to refuel her ship and return to Earth, but Sylux apparently had other plans for her. He attacked the station and in an attempt to save a few lives Samus ran to a remote area knowing Sylux only had eyes for her. Unfortunately the Galactic Federation sent troopers after them. Apparently they thought Samus was working with Sylux, for they shot at her too. After all that I did for them, THIS is the thanks I get in return, she thought.

Samus charged her missiles and sent a homing one after a trooper. It was rather humorous; the doomed man ran away screaming from it and crashed right into the wall followed shortly by the missile. A trooper attacked Samus while her back was turned. Sylux pulled the Shock Coil on him feeling it rejuvenate him. "Sorry friend, but no one gets to kill Samus but ME!"

"Aww, Sylux that was sweet!"

Now very annoyed that Samus called him sweet, Sylux turned the shock coil on her. Samus quickly turned into the morph ball and set bombs all around him. Sylux ran into a big open area with Samus quickly following. He used his own missiles on her, which she dodged. She released her own volley of missiles that barely missed him. They kept it up for a minute. Sylux ran at Samus and she ran and kicked him. Sylux grabbed her foot and pulled, she fell over. They scrambled up and ran into each other holding the others arm cannon away. They struggled like that for a while and tripped over a slope. Down they rolled. They separated and tried to get their footing on the slope. Samus got up first. She charged her power beam and shot at Sylux. In retaliation he shot a charged missile at her. She ducked as it past centimeters over her head. The missile exploded into the mountainside.

Samus heard a rumble. Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. The slope seemed to slide down. At first it was like a sheet of paper just sliding down a slope, but then the snow began to break and tumble down the mountain. Samus recognized the danger and raised her arm cannon. She shot an electric green line out of it. The electric wire attached to a cliff next to where she and Sylux fell. Then the impact came. It swept Samus off her feet and seconds later she was buried under 10 feet of snow and ice. But she never moved; she wasn't lost! The electricity wire held her in place. Sylux wasn't so lucky. The snow knocked him off his feet and he tumbled backwards 20 or so feet. Finally buried 15 feet. The whole incident took a matter of seconds. In the end the avalanche was at least 100 feet long and 60 feet wide. No one would find anybody in it.

A few seconds later Samus shot out of the snow pulled by the electricity wire. When she reached her destination she surveyed the mess. "Didn't see that one coming." She said to herself. She called her ship back to her. Two Galactic Federation ships were tailing it got there it. "Samus Aran, you have some explaining to do." Said Admiral Cooper, Samus's commander.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5,

Trace found himself wishing he hadn't separated with Spire. He had gotten used to letting the big guy do all the dirty work while he sat back and sniped. He was very vulnerable up close and even more vulnerable to fire. He had spent the three days since he met up with Spire traveling in the shadows with his triskellion. Now finally he was nearing his ship. Just half a day's journey left. There would be trouble before he got there though; he knew it. It was a sort of sixth sense he had.

Trace wasn't let down, there were a couple of diamonts eyeing each other cautiously while eating the vanes from the lava swamp. As trace looked up he saw tons of diamonts crawling around on the walls. There appeared to be a mutual avoiding of fighting, but after a year of living around diamonts Trace knew that the appearance of a strange red man would upset that delicate balance. Trace was going to need his best stealth skills to avoid a fight.

Trace meditated to calm his nerves. This was the most dangerous thing he had ever thought of attempting. It was suicide trying to go through this battle waiting to happen. Well, Trace was feeling a bit suicidal today anyway. Trace got in his triskellion again. The triskellion was less noticeable and therefore a better choice to go through here. Trace looked at his surroundings. There was a ramp to the right he needed to go up to get to where his ship was hidden. Unfortunately it was covered in diamonts. There was a system of vines, er, vanes going up a wall directly ahead of Trace. It was in the wide open though so trace would be nearly surrendering his stealth powers. At the left there was another ramp and there weren't many diamonts but it was also completely bathed in sunlight so he couldn't rely on the shadows. Trace had a choice to make. He couldn't afford to be wrong. He chose the left side. If he stayed close to the cliff in the center he could hug the shadows. He walked up the ramp and stopped to look at his surroundings again. This part would be easy. Diamonts weren't around here much just a ton on the walls. Trace crawled back to the right so he could be in the shadow and froze. Good, he got there safely. Trace hugged the wall. Almost there, he thought. Suddenly Trace's sixth sense kicked in. This would not end well. Fighting the temptation to run, trace thought about how many missions had failed due to panic. He would not die that way. He had come to far. There were just a few more feet.

Trace now stood at his last obstacle: a single path leading up the canyon. It was crawling with Diamonts. Trace snuck behind one that had his back turned. He stopped as the Diamont walked past him. Trace continued, observing all his surroundings as he went. Up came another two arguing in the strange language of the Diamont. Trace stopped and let them pass. His Sixth sense was bussing all over the place, but Trace ignored it. He had to finish. Trace walked a little farther then he heard a grunt of surprise and stopped. A Diamont stared at the empty space where trace was. He could of sworn he saw some red bug just a second ago. He was ribbed in the side by his sort of friend who pointed out a small dialanche trying to get up a wall and kept falling, it was very entertaining, so much so that he forgot completely about the disappearing bug. That was just as well for Trace who hurried past him.

Trace did it! He made it out without any disaster! He turned to his biped and stretched. It felt good to be back to normal. He walked to his ships hiding place and went through a curtain of vanes.

Trace froze his ship was there. But it was in ruins. He walked over to it in a daze. Who did this?

"Like loosing copper and finding gold." Trace knew that voice. It belonged to the person who he hated more than all of the evils of the galaxy combined. This person had done more to him than any living creature could ever dream of suffering through. Trace turned to face the blue Kriken. "I was hoping the Diamont oaf could give me information about your whereabouts, but it looks like he led me strait to you."

"Skule, haven't you already done enough to me."

"Oh, your talking about the incident with your girlfriend aren't you. She's happy now, she's married to me and I'm very rich."

Trace lunged for his enemy with such hatred that any human would have run away, but Skule was no human.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6,

Trace got into his triskellion and lunged forward. Skule dodged it with ease. He shot at Traces floating head. It would have been a short battle if Trace didn't lunge at the exact time Skule shot. Trace rammed into him and they flew out the doorway. Skule jumped into his own triskellion and jumped away. Trace leaped after him. The chase continued up a ramp around a circular room.

Trace lost Skule, how? Trace got out of his triskellion and zoomed in with his imperialist. One use full tool with the imperialist that not much outside the Krikans knew was that the imperialist was heat sensitive. It zoomed in when it detected a heat signature. This made it all the more useful when Trace wanted to find someone. Trace kept moving; he knew that was the only way to survive in the presence of a sniper especially one as talented as Skule.

Skule was a prodigy in the empire. He very, very rarely missed a shot, and his shots were always aimed at the head. It was for this reason that he got away with anything; including what he did to Trace. Traces visor zoomed in on a spot between two rocks. He shot and jumped away. Silence, had he hit Skule? Trace knew he hadn't and jumped away. Just in time, a red beam shot from the rocks right to where trace had been just moments before. Trace switched to rockets and tried to flush Skule out with them. He saw a blue triskellion lunge off the ledge and land where trace was.

Trace shot the rest of his rockets at Skule and continued with his power beam. Skule lunged into trace. They crashed through the wall and back into the canyon. The diamonts all turned they're heads. They watched the Krikans fight. One shot a charged blast of magmaul at them. It hit Skule squarely. Burning and screaming Skule turned and shot the foolish Diamont. Everyone watched as the Diamont fell to his knees and slammed into the ground. Then the fighting started. Dialanche rolled around and fought everywhere. There were rolling dialanche all around Trace and Skule. Skule backed up getting ready to pounce on Trace when he was slammed by a dialanche attack. He flew ten feet. Trace seized his chance and slammed into Skule. The fighting continued. It was an art what they did each using the other to their own advantage.

A shadow passed overhead. Trace looked up. He saw a huge platform sort of thing flying overhead. Smaller sized platforms flew down and used lasers to cut and gather the vanes. Trace jumped onto one. Skule jumped onto another. Before they had time to do anything else the platforms shot up back to the giant platform in the sky. Trace could hardly hold on they were moving so fast.

Trace and Skule landed safely at the giant platform. Trace looked around, it was not just a platform it was an entire processing station. But why was it there? "There is an epidemic in the Kriken Empire. The only cure is the blood that runs in this planet. We placed these harvesters here to gather the vanes for us." Skule aimed his arm cannon at Trace. Trace dived forward, once again narrowly dodging death. Trace had to be more careful; his luck wouldn't last long. Trace shot his imperialist at Skule. It hit! Skule yelled as he saw his green blood leaking out of his chest. He looked up at Trace and fell to the ground. Trace cheered, he did it! He killed Skule and managed to survive another day.

Trace explored the harvester before leaving. It was a really ingenious design. His race had really advanced over the years. A red beam came down upon Trace. Trace didn't even notice it. It hit him in the head. Trace fell over and just like that he was defeated.

"You've gotten very much weaker since our last encounter, Trace." Skule laughed. He had used an energy tank in his reserve to recover. "But still, you almost killed the prodigy and lived to tell the tale."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7,

Spire had to hurry. If Trace was dead it was his entire fault. He had led the Krikans to this forsaken planet. Spire had seen the Krikan ship land in the same lava swamp he originally landed in. He followed the blue Krikan the canyon he dropped trace in. Spire knew then that Trace was in immediate danger. Instead of trying to stop the Krikan, Spire decided to cut him off when he was on his way back to his ship. So he was waiting at the swamp. Now he was thinking that may have been a bad idea. What if the Krikan had already killed Trace? Spire had to hope for the best.

And there came he came out of the shadows, the same Krikan who told Spire off when he was passing through Krikan territory. No way! "You!"

The Krikan looked up, "Well if it isn't the same outsider who led me strait to my "buddy" Trace. He was holding Traces head with the body following. No! Trace was really dead! Spire would be racked with guilt for the rest of his life. Trace was dead and it was all Spires fault! But was he dead? Why would this blue Krikan be dragging traces body with him if Trace were dead? Probably for proof, Spire thought getting angrier and angrier. But even so there was now a small drop of hope in this world of hate and dread. "I wont let you take him." Spire said seething. A flame was now issuing from his arm cannon.

"My dear friend, you can't stop me," The Krikan replied.

Spire shot him. The Krikan dropped Trace as he writhed in pain. Spire had ticked him off now. He stood up glowering and aimed his cannon at Spire. Spire dropped to his hands and knees as a red beam shot over his head. He fired some more while strafing to the left. The Kriken transformed into his triskellion and chased after spire until he ran into the lava. "Coward!" He called. Spire just laughed and danced mockingly. The Kriken was seething now. A red beam passed inches from Spire's head and Spire stepped back in surprise. He charged his Magmaul and was about to shoot when a red beam went through his stomach. Spire clutched it and stumbled into the lava. Gasping he picked himself up only to be shot again through his shoulder. Spire shot his charged magmaul at the Krikan. Screaming the Krikan aimed for Spire's head only to miss and hit him through the leg. "I HATE FIRE!" the Krikan yelled. But even though he had suffered more injuries then ever before, Skule had another victory. Spire collapsed into the lava.

"Serves you right, lighting me on fire!" Skule spat out the word like it was poison. Trace moaned and stirred. Skule chuckled Trace was probably remembering the terrible deed Skule had done to him and his girlfriend. Krikans have a unique defensive system they have a nerve just above their brain that when hit with a strong enough force will shut down all their systems and put them in a trancelike state for a period of time. Skule had to get him to his ship before the state wore off.

As the ship took off a dieing Spire watched with horror. He had gotten himself killed and basically killed Trace with his obsession with finding his people. Now he wished that he had never found them. They were beyond repair just like trace said.

Spire waited. It was all he could do. The special properties lava had for his race would slow death but it would not stop it. Spire needed medical attention for that. But who could help him?

END OF PART ONE.


	8. Chapter 8

PART 2:

Chapter 8,

Samus was finally free! All that paper work she had to do on the incident with Sylux was long and boring. She was returning to GF headquarters when her automated computer chimed, "Rival hunter in vacancy."

Samus looked down at her onscreen, Spire's portfolio was showing. Samus knew that it would be unwise to risk an encounter but her curiosity got the better of her. Often she had wondered whatever became of him and the rest of the hunters who she had fought in the tetra galaxy. She set a course for the strange planet Spire was on.

Spires's position was approximately right below Samus. She landed in a sort of lava swamp. Samus had never seen anything like it. Somehow she knew it was bad news. As Samus examined her surroundings she saw a lump of rock in the lava just close enough to reach and decided to us her scan visor on it. Samus gasped that wasn't just any rock, "Spire!" She called. She ran to the wounded hunter. He had holes through his body in several places. Samus knew what they came from. But why would Trace want to kill Spire?

There was something else; strange red vines where nearly covering Spire… Samus began cutting them away and Gasped they were spurting blood as she cut them. That meant that they weren't vines, they were-

A massive hand made erupted from the lava. Magma dripped from it as it reared back like a snake. Samus charged her power beam getting ready for a fight. The hand jetted forward and Samus shot it with the power beam. It didn't seem to be affecting it that much. The hand grabbed Samus. Her power suit defended her from the lava but it wouldn't last long. The hand plunged into the swamp with her.

Silence. It was everywhere. Then a ball shot out of the swamp drenched in blood from the vanes. Samus rolled out of her morph-ball. And ran towards her ship, she needed a stronger weapon. Franticly searching through her arsenal a thought occurred to her. The Judicator! Of course! She equipped it and set out to battle the monster hand.

She walked over the battle ground while charging her weapon. The hand reared to strike again but this time Samus was completely prepared. As the hand came down upon her she shot three blasts of the Judicator. They bounced between the vanes of the hand and traveled all the way up. Once again the hand fell upon Samus, but it never closed. Samus looked up. The hand had turning into lava rock. It couldn't ever move again.

Samus smiled in her visor. She turned to her fallen rival. Spire was still motionless but Samus knew he was alive. Her ship would not have found him if he was dead.

It was difficult hauling the Diamont into her ship but eventually she got him in. Samus scanned the galaxy for the nearest medical facility within GF control. Once she found one that suited her she set a course for it and prayed that Spire would make it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9,

When Spire awoke he thought he was in heaven. Everything was white and smooth. The walls and ceiling were pure white and the bed he was one was soft as silk. A pure white-feathered alien walked in. He had wings like an eagle on his back. He had a small slit of a mouth and slits for nostrils. "Spire? Oh good your finally coming around." he said.

"Where am I?"

"You are in the International Hospital of Xamos. You would be dead if you got here a second later. Lucky for you we Xamains are the most advanced species in the Galactic Federation when it comes to health. We have mastered the body structure of over 10,000 species and are extremely skilled surgeons. You had some pretty massive holes in your body but fortunately for you we learned how to fix a Diamont five or so years ago. We all thought you people were extinct, but here you are lying in our hospital as peaceful as you were said to be 100s of years ago. Did you know that-?"

"Don't kill him Damos," laughed Samus Aran as she walked in the room. Spire couldn't believe his eyes; she didn't have her combat suit on. Spire only recognized her by her voice. It was the first time he had ever seen her without it. She was very pretty- for a human.

Not wanting to appear weak Spire got out of the bed. "What are you doing here, Samus?" he demanded.

"I'm hurt, Spire, really," She was teasing him; Spire could always be amazed at Samus's lightheartedness considering how much more she had seen than most people. "If you must know, it was me who found you and brought you here before you died."

"Really? Did you save trace too?" Spire's hopes shot back up.

"Trace? I was under the impression that it was he who attacked you."

Spire sighed; Samus would have to be filled in.

Spire and Samus were walking down a hallway with the view of a beautiful landscape on the left.

"So, Trace was captured and killed by his own race?" Samus asked in shock.

"I don't know if he's dead yet, but if he is its all my fault!" Spire cried in despair.

Samus didn't know what to say to this; from what it sounded like it really was all Spires fault. They walked in silence for a while.

"Why did you come Samus, are we not enemies?"

"Not really enemies in my opinion, more of rivals. There's a difference. I never could stand still as I saw anybody die. Friend or enemy."

Spire looked down, he would have let her die… now he felt even worse.

Spire was still watching his feet when he saw Samus's feet stop. He looked up. There he saw a magnificent ship. Samus had an upgrade. Samus opened to hatch, "Well, aren't you coming?" she asked.

"Where?" Spire knew the answer before she told him.

"Why, to save Trace, of course!"

Spire smiled. He may be able to redeem himself yet…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10,

Samus and Spire had been flying for three days now. They switched off every few hours. It was Samus's turn now. They were dead in Krikan territory and still they hadn't found any sign of Trace. This was the first time Samus had ever flown in Krikan space; she generally tried to avoid it. So far they had avoided detection, for all Samus knew anyway. But of course they hadn't. They had been tailed from the moment their ship entered the Krikan Empire.

The enemy ships stayed out of radar range and used the more powerful radar of the nearby planets to guide them. There was four of them and when they decided to show themselves Spire was flying and Samus was resting in the co-pilot seat. "Outsiders, land your ship and register," a green floating head appeared on the display screen.

"Great," spire said to himself, replying to the Krikan he said, "Umm… we are making a shipment to the capital city."

"What is your shipment?" Spire said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Er… boots," idiot! Boots?

"Boots."

"Y-yes, their for all those homeless Krikens." Spire knew he blew it.

"I repeat land your ship and register, or we will be forced to shoot."

Not knowing how to reply Spire just sped up and tried to outrun them. The Krikans followed. Spire kept speeding up when- "Rival hunter detected." Spire pulled such a sharp u-turn that the ship turned on its side. Samus fell out of her unbuckled chair and landed on the window. "Ow! Spire what are you doing!" Samus wasn't wearing her combat suit. She looked out the window she was sitting on and saw the Krikens. "Oh… great."

The ship began shaking as lasers were shot at it. Samus crawled to and egg shaped seat in the back of the ship. She climbed into it and it turned and rose. A visor came down over her eyes and joysticks raised to her hands.

The Krikens were surprised when Samus's ship shot back, from the back. Turrets mounted on the top and bottom began firing. Their right wingman was shot down be them. Spire had by now turned the ship around and was now firing missiles at the group of Krikens. Spire and the Krikens now were headed strait for each other; lasers flying. In a blur they flew past each other, as they past Samus turned the turrets and shot the middle right ship. It tumbled into the middle left ship and they exploded. Now there was just one left. It turned around and chased after Samus and Spire. It was clearly the most skilled of the bunch. Every laser Samus shot at it was easily dodged. It shot at them, never missing.

Samus's ship wasn't built for dogfights. It was big and could not dodge very well. Their shields were quickly run down. "Spire!" Samus screamed, "Stop!"

Not sure he heard right Spire yelled, "WHAT?"

"STOP!"

Spire did stop and the Krikan, not expecting this, flew right past. Spire shot a pair of missiles. They reached their target in a fiery explosion. Spire and Samus both let out sighs of relief at the same time.

Samus, now piloting, landed on the planet where Trace supposedly was. They scouted their surroundings there was a large facility in the hills to the right of them. They hiked over to it.

When they entered the building Spire knew instantly that they had been trapped.

"Fugitives, drop your weapons and we'll think about letting you live, but it isn't likely."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11,

Sylux found himself in an interrogation room. There was a GF admiral and several soldiers there. Sylux was suit less. His dark hair was down in his face.

"Hello… Sylux it is?" the admiral asked.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Well that should be obvious, you are a killer! A fugitive! A criminal!"

"I don't see where this is going."

"Are you toying with me or are you really this stupid!"

I'm… pretty sure im just messing with you," Sylux loved the look of rage contort the admirals face.

"Look, Sylux, I can help you, you are facing at least a LIFETIME IN PRISON!" at this the admiral took a deep breath, "if you help me I can probably ensure you only about 20 years."

Sylux laughed out loud, "You think I'm going to help you! Also I don't plan to go to prison at all."

The admiral scowled, "Well you're going to have a change in plans!" with that he left the room.

Sometime later (Sylux didn't have anyway of knowing the time, he tried asking the guards but they just ignored him.) the admiral walked back in. "Sylux, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I really should introduce myself. I'm Admiral Cooper. Please tell me, why were you after my top dog?"

"You mean Samus? I have some personal stuff to settle with her and-," at this Cooper broke in yelling, "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!"

"What?" Sylux replied taken aback.

"Who is telling you to attack the Galactic Federation?"

"No one!"

"You mean to tell me you are working on your own accord."

"Well, yes."

"Lies!" at this Cooper left.

It went on like this for five meals (Sylux assumed that meant three days, or did they only feed his once a day than it would be five days). One time Cooper came in.

"You know im a bit surprised at you three days and no escape attempt?"

Ahh, so it was three days, "Well I'm just waiting for the right time, you know."

"You'll never escape."

"Has anyone ever told you how melodramatic you are?" Cooper punched him and walked out.

It was after his sixth meal Sylux heard the screams. He was trying to have an engaging conversation with one of the guards but was, of course, ignored. The guard tried to find out what was going on but he received no answer. The screams were getting loader and firing could be heard. The guards were visibly worried now. The one on the left opened the door just a peek. He was greeted by jolt to the chest. He flew across the room as the door flew open, electricity spurting from his chest. The other guard readied his gun and popped into the open firing. He met his comrade's fate.

A large worm slithered into Sylux's now unguarded cell. It stopped in front of Sylux.

"Hello Kanden," Sylux said.

The worm turned into its biped form, "Sylux. It's been awhile."

"Well you didn't come all this way to say hi did you? Do what you must, as you can see I'm defenseless."

"I'm not going to kill you. Not yet anyway."

"Oh, that makes me feel loads better."

"Who are you?"

"Who do you think? Sylux!"

"Prove it."

"I don't have time for games, Kanden. Get me out of here SO I CAN KILL SAMUS!" Sylux screamed out of frustration.

"Its you…"

Kanden and Sylux searched for Sylux's armor all through the installation. Kanden found it. At least he was pretty sure that's where it was. He called Sylux and walked down the hallway to a door with a sign over it. 'Admiral Cooper' the sign said. Kanden tried to door, it was locked with an eye registry. Kanden noticed an air vent in the ceiling. He blasted it open. "Lift me up," he told Sylux as he transformed into the stinglarva. Sylux obviously didn't want to pick up the giant slug but did as he was told. Kanden slithered to the vent above the admiral's office and let off one of his tail bombs. He had only a little while to wait before the bomb propelled him into the air as it blew through the vent. Kanden fell through it and found himself surrounded by Galactic Federation Troopers. Easy.

Sylux heard blasting and then, silence. A second later Kanden opened the door. Sylux walked into a room filled with bodies. "Nice work," Sylux commented.

"Thanks."

Sylux found his armor. It actually wasn't that hard. It was sitting in a display case in the corner of the room, gun and all. A Plaque above his armor read, 'Walter J. Cooper will forever be remembered as the hero who defeated the sinister being known as SYLUX.' Sylux laughed at this. Kanden smashed the glass and they took Sylux's armor out and fitted it on Sylux himself. Sylux relished the feeling of being back in his power suit. He felt naked without it. A soldier groaned and tried to sit up. Sylux blasted him with his shock coil. Now he was rejuvenated.

They made their way to the hangar. Kanden's ship was there, but Sylux's was nowhere to be seen. "Not a problem," Sylux said as he tapped in a combination on his wrist.

They heard footsteps behind them. Cooper and a score of troops were running towards them. "Fire!" Cooper yelled. Dozens of troopers opened fire on them. Sylux turned into the lockjaw and set a tripwire. The troopers jumped over it. Sylux completed the triangle and smiled as he heard them scream. Four down. Kanden pushed his volt driver to its limits, killing five. No matter how hard they fought they would be overcome though. They both knew it.

Massive bolts flew through the air into the crowd of troopers. Sylux turned his head to see his ship firing at the soldiers. Sylux smiled they were saved for today.

When the battle was over Sylux walked over to Cooper, who he had spared for this purpose. He flashed the plague the admiral had hung over his armor. "Thanks for the compliment. The sinister Sylux, has a nice ring to it." And with that Sylux fried him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12,

Spire and Samus snuck into the facility. It looked like one of the Galactic Federation's buildings, but with a very alien look to it. There were organic materials pulsating at different spots. They walked into a round room with doors all around it. There were ledges with doors above them too. "Be careful Spire, this is the perfect place to get ambushed in," As if on cue right when Samus said that a red beam crossed right in front of them. They turned into their alternates and got to work.

Spire climbed up the wall onto the ledge to be greeted by sniper fire. He went to the snipers and took care of them. Samus bombed snipers on the ground. It was a short battle. Spire was knocked off the ledge (100 or so feet). He blacked out when he hit the bottom.

When he awoke he found himself surrounded by krikens. Samus was nowhere to be found. Great, he though, I've managed to get another friend hurt or possibly hurt.

"What should we do with the big one?" a kriken asked.

"He's to big to try to imprison with the girl, we'll just kill him now," And with that the kriken lowered his gun to Spire's head.

"Why did you come after me?" Sylux asked Kanden over the Ethercom between their ships.

"I will admit I was curious how the 'great' Sylux was captured."

"But that's not the whole reason, is it?"

"No, I suppose its not."

"Will you tell me?"

"Perhaps after you tell me how you got kidnapped,"

Sylux rolled his eyes, "It was Samus."

"Obviously… What is your problem with her?"

"Samus did a very terrible deed to me in my past life. I will never forgive her, or the Federation... So anyway we were fighting," Sylux continued, "and she caught me off guard. An avalanche started and the last thing I remember is Samus using her grappling hook to pull her up. Now will you tell me?"

Kanden was silent for a long time, "I suppose I should start from the Almbic Cluster. After we all separated I traveled for a very long time. I wreaked havoc wherever I went and never left survivors. But I've become less and less interested in slaughter and more and more interested in my past. I have no recollection of my past whatsoever. I don't know who I was, what I did or why I exist as I am today… After about a year of searching for clues I found evidence that my origins are on… Cyclosis."

Sylux didn't know what to say. Kanden was from Cyclosis, what did that mean for him.

"Sylux, that's not all, lately I've been having dreams. In my dreams you're screaming as I'm being dragged away. Sylux, I think it's from my past life because, the thing is, its you, but you're not in your suit."

Spire had to act fast. He swung his arm and knocked the kriken who was aiming his gun off his feet. His arm cannon fired as he fell to the floor and the beam struck through one of his comrades heads. Spire leaped up and swung his arms wildly. He fired his magmaul at a kriken then brought his fist down on a triskellion launching itself at him. He charged his weapon while he knocked a floating head about a yard away before it returned to its master as if on an invisible string. Although even if it did return though the kriken was dead. Spire fired his charged cannon at a group of krikens lighting them on fire. He was not going down!

Sylux walked on the blue tinted dirt. Kitty was hanging on his arm and laughing. Her features were lit by the smile on her face. Sylux had to smile; she could always do that to him, no matter his mood. Sylux looked up and his smile faded instantly. Kanden was standing just ahead of them. "You betrayed me!"

Sylux couldn't believe what he was being accused of, "Why, what did I do?"

"You let them take me away! You betrayed me! You let them do this," Kanden pointed at his mutated body, "to me! You betrayed me!"

"No! I searched for you for years! I couldn't find you!"

"You gave up though, you lost interest in me! You never loved me! You betrayed me! YOU BETRAYED ME!" Samus and two GF troopers appeared behind Kanden then. They grabbed Kanden and dragged him off with them. "YOU BETRAYED ME!" Kanden screamed as he was being dragged away.

"No, Kanden!" Sylux cried after them, "Kanden!" He was almost gone, "NO! BROTHER!"

Sylux awoke screaming. Painful memories flooded Sylux's being. It couldn't be…

Sylux went to his cockpit. His ship was on autopilot. He had found Samus's location long before. He turned on his Ethercom, "Kanden," he issued his voice command. Seconds later Kanden's image appeared on the screen.

"What!" He commanded, apparently he had been sleeping as well.

Sylux gasped. Just seeing Kanden brought fear into his heart, "Kanden, I think… you're my brother."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13,

When Samus awoke she shot strait up. The last thing she remembered was seeing Spire slam into the ground. She examined her surroundings: it was a dark room with an eerie green mist just visible. A limp form lay a few feet from where she sat. It wasn't till just then that she realized that her power suit was missing.

The limp body began to move. A single red eye lit up while beneath it a red light where the heart should be glowed. "Hello?" the figure called tentatively.

"Trace?"

"Samus? What are you doing here?"

"Oh good, you're alive! Spire and I came to save you… although I have no idea where he is right now."

"So they got you than?"

"Yep," Samus said gloomily.

"You shouldn't have come."

"Why?"

Trace shuddered, "Skule."

Just then green lights turned on. A red force field above them was disabled. It was nighttime. A blue kriken dropped down into the dungeon followed by three green guards. "Ah, Trace, I see you've woken up. Have you enjoyed being back home?"

"Not particularly, Skule," Trace said rather weakly.

Samus knew then that the once proud kriken was… defeated. He had lost his fighting spirit. He would just let anybody bully him around now. Where as before the kriken would have challenged the bully in less that three seconds.

Skule could tell as well, "Trace, I'm really disappointed in you. I was hoping we would get to have loads of fun breaking you. But you've already been broken. You don't even deserve Kitoko."

Trace just hung his head.

Sylux climbed into his armor. This is it, he told himself, today is the day I get my revenge. But was that what he really wanted? Ever since his dream he was spending more time remembering his past. He usually avoided thinking about Cyclosis, but now he couldn't stop thinking about it. Sylux had promised Kanden that they would get a DNA test after Sylux had defeated Samus.

Sylux had found it strange that Samus was in kriken territory. He found it stranger that Spire and Trace were on the same planet. It couldn't be a coincidence, but what was going on…

"So, Samus Aran, don't act so shocked Samus you are the galaxy's most well known hunter. I'm your you have to share a cell with such… filth."

"Well, it wont be to bad. Its not like you'll be here all the time."

Skule stayed cool, "Aren't we the funny one. Tell me Samus, does the Galactic Federation want a war?"

"I don't understand?"

"Why did they send you to kriken territory? Are you spying? You aren't here for a vacation."

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. I'll tell you this once: the Galactic Federation doesn't care about a bunch of bugs. We have much bigger problems than you or your rainbow colored beetles."

Skule raised his arm cannon up to Samus's head, "I'm just about the most powerful person on this planet. No one would dare object to me killing you this instant. I wont kill you though. Not now. There are advantages of having hostages." And with that he left the room.

Sylux was on the guard. It wasn't wise wandering around a kriken-infested planet unprepared. He walked into a building and the second he did a spiked ball shot past him several triskellions followed. The dialanche struck one of the triskellions and it flew against the wall. Triskellion transformed into its biped and the kriken aimed for the rolling ball. Sylux pulled his shock coil on him. The fried kriken dropped to the floor. Spire had taken care of the others. He rolled out of his dialanche, "Sylux, what are you doing here?"

"No, the real question, Spire, is what are you doing? Don't hide Samus from me!"

"I'm not hiding anybody. Samus and I were fighting some krikens, I fell and the next thing I know she's gone. She's probably been imprisoned with Trace."

"Wha-?"

"I better fill you in," and he did. Spire told a condensed version of what had happened the in last few days.

Sylux thought for a moment, "Ok, I've decided, I'll help you save Samus and Trace."

"Really? Why, what's the catch?"

"Well simply put I'm trying to kill Samus and the last thing I want is for Samus to get killed by a bunch of bugs before I get a chance to."

"Promise me that you wont kill her the second you see her."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. I don't want to be responsible for her death too. If I lead you to her I will."

It took a lot of will power to agree but Sylux gave in.

"Great!" Spire said, "Now I have a chance to fix my mistakes."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14,

Sylux turned out to be a wonderful ally. He had single-handedly wiped out three parties of krikens since he and Spire teamed up. To be honest, Spire was a bit jealous. Sylux made him feel inferior and weak. They had made a lot of progress in finding Trace and Samus. So far they had learned (by taking over an operations room) that Trace and Samus were in the same cell and had learned where that cell was. What they didn't know was what guarded the cell…

"Trace!" Trace shot awake. It was a dream; he looked around, realized where he was, and then proceeded to sob into his hands.

"Trace? Are you alright?" It was Samus. She was trying to comfort him. He didn't need her.

"I'm fine." From the hardness in his voice Samus would never have known he was crying had she not heard him a minute ago. She didn't even know Krikens could cry.

"No your not. You can't go on like this, Trace. You've been like this for as long as I've known you. When you bottle up your emotions you're bound to burst. Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't need your pity."

"It's this Skule character, isn't it."

"Its none of your business."

"I want to know."

This caught Trace off guard. Samus actually wanted to know she didn't just pity him. He took a deep breath, "Ok, I'll tell you. It might be good to finally let it out."

It was Empire Day in the Kriken Empire. Trace walked alongside a yellow kriken. She had a blue eye and to krikens she was beautiful. They were walking to the town center so that a kriken could be chosen to go into exile and bring another planet into the Empire. A kriken stepped up onto a podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is our celebration of the powerful Kriken Empire," the crowd went wild. Trace cheered and the yellow kriken clapped, "and as is tradition, (and law)" laughter erupted from the crowd, "One of you will be selected to go on a Rite of Passage."

Cheers and screams were heard all around. The kriken on the podium suddenly grew very sullen, "It will not be easy, or fun. The Rite of Passage is an ultimate test of strength and courage. It will take every fiber of your being to survive. As we all know the Rite of Passage is when one of our most powerful warriors is chosen to help the growth of the Empire. They will find a suitable planet for us to invade. But until then they cannot contact us for anything. They are completely on their own. This will be immensely difficult seeing as the most suitable planets are usually guarded well. So… lets get going!"

More cheers erupted from the crowd. The kriken on the podium pressed several buttons and a hologram appeared above it. As Trace looked at it the Yellow kriken gasped and looked at him. On the hologram shined a picture of… Skule. The crowd cheered like never before. Completely confused Trace looked at the yellow kriken. She was surprised to say the least.

"That should be you up there," she said.

"What's going on?" was all he said in reply. Earlier that day he had been called to the capital for a meeting with the king (not the Emperor, he ruled all of the Systems in the Empire, kings just ruled a specific planet.). The king told him that he had been selected for the Rite of Passage. Why now was it Skule being chosen?

Trace and Skule were enemies. They had been since the day they met. It was in the Kriken Training Academy…

Trace was practicing his rapid fire sniping. There were moving targets moving across the room. Trace had to hit them all in under three minutes. He could almost do it. He was doing it one time when a blue kriken walked in. Trace was on his last target, "Hello," the blue kriken said. Trace looked toward the sound. A buzzer went off.

"Thanks a lot; I would have had that," Trace said exasperatedly.

"Hmm," Said the Kriken as he loaded up the program. He successfully completed the training in a minute and a half, a new record.

"Who are you?" Trace said reverently.

"The name's Skule," Said the Kriken as he examined Trace. "Would you like to fight me?" he asked.

"Sorry I already tried to get into the virtual room. It's packed," Trace said.

"No, no," Skule chuckled. Suddenly he had a hard look on his face. He shot at Trace's feet, "FIGHT ME!" He screamed.

"Hey!" Trace said shocked.

Skule shot at him again, "Fight me!"

"Your insane!" Trace said as he dodged a shot to the head. He returned fire upon Skule.

"Perhaps, but I think once you get into it you will agree."

"Is this the way you treat everyone you meet?" Trace asked as he dropped to the floor.

"Lets put it this way," Skule said as he shot at Trace, "Half the people I've met wouldn't be able to tell you so."

"You have social issues."

"No I just kill the people I don't like," Skule replied.

"Oh, So you just don't like me than!" Trace said ticked off now.

"Quite frankly, yes." Skule shot Trace through the hand.

Trace screamed and the fight continued. It was getting more and more intense with each passing second. Finally the Academy director came in with a swarm krikens behind him.

"YOU TWO! Follow me!"

Trace and Skule hurried after him. Whispers followed them, "That was incredible!" "Who are they?" "That's the prodigy, the blue one!"

They entered the office. The director turned to face them, "I'll be frank with you two. That was the most incredible fight I think I've ever seen in my life."

Trace looked at him incredulously. He couldn't be serious.

"So I'm going to pair you two up for a mission."

"WHAT?" "NO!"

"You will go to plant Enubon where intelligence reports that a kriken slave trade is being run by haters of the Empire. You two will lead a squadron there and put it down."

So Trace and Skule worked together for about a year. Most people grow fond of each other by working side by side for so long. Not Trace and Skule. They grew to hate each other's company. It got to be where Trace had to always be on the lookout for certain snipers to avoid death. Skule was always weary of assassination attempts from a certain kriken.

Finally after a year of hunting down the massive Enubon slave trade the small band of Snipers had advanced upon their main installment. Trace and Skule snuck down a hill leading the rest. They stopped when they could here the sound conversations of the inhabitants of the jungle-infested planet. They motioned for the band to circle the encampment. There was a large row of cages by Skule and Trace. A fence sat in the middle. "Think you can jump that?" Skule asked Trace.

"Easy," Trace replied as he transformed into his triskellion. He stepped back a few feet and pounced over the fence. He froze hoping he wasn't heard. Nope safe; he crawled over to the cages and transformed back into his biped. Several of the imprisoned krikens gasped as they saw him.

"Shhh, quiet," he told them, "We are on a rescue mission and for it to work…" trace trailed off. He had just gotten a good look at a beautiful yellow kriken, "WENEEDYOURCOOPERATION," Trace said a little to loud and too fast.

A guard heard him. Luckily Trace had his Imperialist equipped. The guard walked over to the prisoners, "YOU ARE TOO LOUD! QUIET DOWN!" he said and chuckled while walking away without even seeing Trace.

"Anyway," Trace whispered, "when sniper fire starts, I'll release you and you MUST follow me closely, got it?"

There were nods. Trace motioned to Skule that everything was go. Now they just had to wait. The yellow kriken walked up to where Trace was invisible. "Hi, I'm Kitoko."

"Kitoko, pretty, I mean, your name, that's what I was saying was pretty," Trace sucked at talking to girls.

She smiled, "I know."

Trace smiled sheepishly, "I'm Trace."

"Cute."

"Umm, you aren't talking about my name are you?" Trace gave her a strange look.

She giggled, "No, I'm not."

Trace was really glad he was red at this moment. A beam from Skule interrupted them. For a moment Trace thought Skule was trying to kill him again but he saw where the beam landed: strait through the head of the guard. Suddenly sniper fire was all over the camp.

"Its time!" Trace yelled as he shot the bolt of the cage. Krikens poured out of it. Trace joined in the sniping. The prisoners lined up behind Trace and he led them to the base exit.

An Enubian raise his hairy arm, "Stop, I command you." A red beam passing through his brain shut him up.

They got out relatively easy, and once the base was eradicated the left as soon as possible. The trip home was full of euphoric prisoners. The usually quiet cargo ships were full laughter and happiness. Even Skule was unusually friendly. He was trying to flirt with Kitoko although she obviously wanted to get away. A soldier called for Trace.

"Can you help me to repair these defense turrets?" he asked.

Trace glanced at Skule and Kitoko and smiled, "Ask Skule he's good at these sort of things."

The soldier looked reluctant but went anyway. Trace laughed at the look of rage on Skule's face as he followed him. Now Trace had his chance. He walked up to Kitoko and when she saw him she lit up.

"Trace!" She said and hugged him. "This is so wonderful. You know, I was born into slavery. I've never had freedom. It's GREAT!"

Trace laughed, "I'm glad you like it. You've barely tasted freedom."

Kitoko looked at him, "I need to thank you," She leaned into him, "for what you've done," her head was inches from his, "Properly," she whispered. Trace kissed her. (Yes, krikens kiss. Its not like how humans do it, but I don't want to go into, so for the purposes of the story, they kissed.) It was confirmed then; what Trace was starting to suspect. He loved her, and it looked like she thought the same way.

From the shadows Skule watched furiously. When he saw what Trace was doing to Kitoko he killed the stupid soldier who lead him away. He resolved then and there that he would make their lives miserable. He never could stand to see Trace get anything he Skule, who was much better in every way, disserved.

When they got home Trace and Skule were proclaimed heroes. For the first few weeks Trace's life couldn't be better, then the attacks started. It seemed whenever he and Kitoko were alone together someone was trying to kill them. Trace knew right away who it was. But knowing that just scared him more.

Now over a year later the attacks continued but Trace was better at countering them. He and Kitoko were almost always in public when they were together. And that seemed to help. Now it was Empire Day.

Trace was pulled out of his thoughts by Skule who had obviously gone out of his way to talk to him and Kitoko.

"Trace, Kitoko," Skule said in his arrogant voice.

"Skule," They said in coldly in unison.

"Confused about the change, Trace?" Skule mocked, "Once you left they realized their foolish mistake and chose the obvious superior."

"You always do get what you want, usually by force," Trace said hating Skule more than he thought possible.

"I haven't gotten everything I want, not yet anyway," Skule replied as he looked at Kitoko. He left at that to go to the podium. The crowd watched reverently as the king walked up and made three scratches on both sides of Skule's face and poured hologoldern into them. The king raised Skule's arm up and the crowd clapped and cheered again. Trace and Kitoko exchanged glances.

"I still don't believe it! Who would have thought he would go so far!" Kitoko vented. Trace and her had returned to her apartment after the ceremony.

"I know, he obviously has a lot more power than I thought," Trace said. It worried him. What if he did hurt him or Kitoko? Would the government just sit by and pretend it didn't happen?

"Well I suppose we should look on the bright side: we aren't going to see Skule for a few years!" Trace said.

Kitoko laughed, "Yes, I suppose your right."

Just then a banging was heard on the door. Traces heart skipped a beat; he could guess who that was. Kitoko stared at Trace. He knew what she was thinking, he was thinking the same thing: Skule was going to give them something to remember him by.

Trace equipped his Imperialist and crept towards the door. He aimed his arm cannon at whoever-it-was's head, thrust open the door and shot. The next thing Trace knew he was on his back. Skule had expected Trace's actions and prepared.

"That was always your problem Trace, you expect your opponent to be some inexperienced larva. I'll tell you this now, although its far too late, expect the unexpected."

"What do you want?" Trace spat.

Skule shook with rage, "Why should you, you little bug, get everything. You always get what I deserve!" He looked at Kitoko, "That's why I have to take it. I'll take it all! You watch, I'll Claim not just a planet, but also an entire system for our Empire, and in no time flat! I'm the best and the whole Empire will know it! Who knows, maybe in a few year I could even become emperor."

Trace was blown away, "Your insane! You think I'm stealing what's rightfully yours? You're stealing what's rightfully mine!"

Skule had his back turned to Trace, "Oh no. You see I'm the better of the two of us. Why should you get what the better deserves?" Skule had turned to Trace and was moving closer to him, "We both know that the Exile goes to the most eligible kriken, and we both know that that kriken is me," Skule's face was now inches from Trace's, his voice was barely above a whisper, "Remember last year," Skule motioned to Kitoko, "She's mine too, isn't she."

With lightning fast reflexes Skule had produced impirical cord (a type of cord that cant be broken be force) and had bound Trace.

Trace struggled, "She doesn't want you," he spat.

"Did I ever say I cared?" Was Skule's reply, "I might have cared a year ago when I thought I was in love, but now I'm just doing it to make you suffer."

"NOOOO! Kitoko Run!" Trace called. Skule kicked him and grabbed her before she could run anywhere. He forced he to the ground.

Kitoko was sobbing, "Trace!" She screamed.

Trace's voice trailed off. Samus had her hands to her mouth as she quietly cried.

"He raped her," Trace said when he could continue, "While I could only watch as it happened. The next thing I know it me being exiled while Skule stayed home. I was being sent away so I couldn't retaliate, I know it!"

When he finished Samus did something completely unexpected: she hugged him. Trace finally melted after that. He sobbed while Samus protected him from the world.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15,

"Ahhhh!" Sylux flew into the wall, "What is that thing!" He yelled.

The thing he was referring to was rearing up for another attack. It was a beast at least 30 feet high. It looked like a giant scorpion but with four legs and four limbs on its back that acted like four more tails. It had a long neck about 10 feet. A kriken sat at the base of it.

"This beautiful creature is a Scippeus. Native to this planet, it is our natural predator. But we have managed to tame it. Do you like it?" the kriken said.

"Actually, it'll make getting to the prison hold a lot harder but I bet that's what you were going for," Sylux replied.

The kriken laughed, "exactly," he said as the scippeus rushed towards the two hunters.

Sylux fired the shockcoil at the beast. It seemed to have no effect. A stinger aimed at him interrupted his firing. He arched his back as it passed overhead, then ducked as another one came at the other side. He fired a missile at the beast and heard a satisfying screech. A limb slammed him into the wall, again, although the stinger luckily missed.

Spire jumped in; he charged his magmaul and fired it at the monster. This had optimal effect. The beast staggered and reared on its hind legs. It turned away from Sylux and focused on Spire.

"Oh… crap," Spire started running. The scippeus chased after him. It reached him in three bounds and smashed him against the wall. The hangar sized room spun.

The scippeus was closing in on its prey when a small ball of energy holding two mechanical blades together came spinning around its legs. It tried to swish it but the little thing was too small.

Sylux laid the first mine near the beast's hind legs. Than he sped to it's front and laid the second one. He was nearly crushed when a leg came inches to his lockjaw. Finally he laid the third mine and saw the triangle close in on its target.

An intense pain exploded in the scippeus's legs. It went wild. "Whoa! Whoa!" The kriken tried to calm the monster.

Given the chance to escape Spire took it quickly. He rolled into his dialanche and got out of there before he was crushed. He unrolled and charged his magmaul.

Once the kriken had properly calmed the scippeus he charged towards Spire in order to avoid a repeat of before. The beast struck before Spire had time to react.

Spire gasped, he looked down at the stinger sticking in his body. As the Scippeus raised its limp Spire rose with it. A rancid smell crept into Spire's nostrils as the beast opened its giant mouth.

"Ah, feel the poison course through your veins. I should tell you, the poison of the Scippeus paralyzes its victims."

Spire was brought to the edge of the Scippeus's mouth; it had extremely long teeth.

Spire raised his flaming arm cannon, "Rock," he shrugged and shot the monster it its open mouth.

"AAAAIIEEEEEE!" the beast screamed. Not a single Scippeus in all of history had been killed. For it had no natural predator. This one was coming extremely close to death at the hands of a couple of people a sixth of its size. It thrashed about throwing the kriken off its back. He looked at Sylux who was advancing on him.

"Maybe we can talk," he said hopelessly.

"Sure," replied Sylux as he fried the kriken.

Spire was thrown off the Scippeus's limb. He flew across the room hitting the wall and actually making an imprint of his form in the stone. Spire then fell to the ground, clearly out cold.

The beast still flailed around. It screamed; refusing to close its mouth, while the limbs and its tail swung all over. Finally it tripped over itself in its madness; the mouth hanging open near Sylux. It was still breathing. Sylux walked over to it and shot the shockcoil it its mouth. It worked against the non-armored part of the body. The life was shortly drained of the great beast.

Spire lumbered over to Sylux dizzy and looking like he was as somber as a college freshman at a Friday night party, "That wasn't so hard," he said groggily.

"You can take one heck of a beating," Sylux said.

"Rock," Spire pointed out about to fall over.

Spire smiled, "we're here."

Spire and Sylux peered over an edge looking at some sort of prison guarded by tons of krikens. The entrance to the prison was at the top obviously for security reasons.

"Its to easy," Sylux observed.

"Are you kidding? There's well over fifty people guarding it, you call that easy?" Spire couldn't believe his ears.

"After what we just fought this defense is pitiful. There has to be a catch."

"Well your right when you compare it to before, but I still think it's fine."

"NO! Look! You can see a faint red glow coming from the opening. There's a shield! How are we going to open it, do you think?"

"The key?" said Spire as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe, which really it was.

"No duh, the question is, where is the key?" Sylux said.

"Great," Spire realized the problem; he sighed and started walking away.

"Wait, what the-, what are you doing?" Sylux asked confused.

"We need to figure out where the keys are don't we?" Spire stated while shrugging, "I'll take care of it, you just sit tight here and wait," with that Spire rolled into a ball and left Sylux confused.

"Did he just give me an order?" Sylux asked to no one in particular.

Spire was back in an hour.

"What took you so long?" Sylux had been pacing since Spire left.

"You try sneaking into a command room without being seen once, ok, I was seen once but that guy was taken care of quickly-"

"So…"

Spire sighed, "There are three keys, all of them are required to open the force field. I have the coordinates of the keys and instructions on how to get there. Any questions?"

Sylux thought, "How did you do all of this period, let alone in an hour."

Spire chuckled, "I'm good."

What Sylux didn't know was that Spire made a detour. When the command room was clear hurried and called the prison room with the intercom.

"Samus, Trace, are you guys there?" he asked tentatively hoping he wasn't wrong.

"Spire! Your alive!" Samus was looking into the screen showing spire.

Spire smiled, "It's great to see you again. Listen, we're coming for you. Just hang on a little longer and we'll have you out of there."

"We?"

"Oh yeah, Samus, Sylux is here."

"What!" Samus had fear in her eyes, "Spire, I don't have my power suit, I can't fight him."

"Tell you what, I'll distract Sylux long enough for you to make an escape. But listen, when the force field goes down we are going to need your help to fight, you and Trace, power suit or no power suit," Spire told her.

Samus looked over her shoulder at Trace who was sitting against the wall with his head hanging, "I'll be ready," She said.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16,

"Are you ready?" Spire was at one of the doors that lead to one of the keys.

"As always," Sylux was at the door that leads to the cell room.

"Lets go!" Spire burst into the doorway firing the magmaul.

Sylux smiled and walked calmly into the cell room. The hole in the middle of the room was swarming with tired krikens. When they heard the door open and shut they looked up.

"Who are you, state your purpose," one asked.

Sylux just yelled and rushed forward, shockcoil blaring.

"Come on Trace! Its time to stop mopping around and get ready," Samus said.

Trace just looked up at her, "I can't fight, he'll hurt her again."

"That's why you have to fight! So Skule CAN'T hurt Kitoko."

"HOW HEARTLESS ARE YOU!" Trace stood up, his fists bared, "You heard the story. I will never be able fight him!" Trace sunk to the floor again, "I can't do it," he said desperately.

Samus knelt down beside Trace, "Look, I can't do this alone, just barely, when you blew up at me, I saw your old self in there. I saw the true Trace. Spire and Sylux need you. I'm practically useless without my power suit I can fight but I'm weak. If you don't fight then all hope is lost."

Trace nodded.

A wall of krikens came rushing forward to meet Sylux. Imperialist fire zoomed past him. The shockcoil found its first target. Sylux drained his life and ducked for a red beam passing overhead, while pointing his arm cannon at another kriken. Sylux drained the life of one last kriken before ducking into the lockjaw. Lucky he did for an imperialist shot went right through him. Searing pain coursed through Sylux, he would have to recharge in a second.

Sylux zoomed away and set as long a trip wire as he possibly could. Eight krikens jumped it. How, Sylux wondered, is everyone so oblivious to a trap? He completed the triangle and zoomed for his next victims. He laid one, two, zoomed around a kriken, three. The kriken used his last breath to scream.

Getting wise the crowd backed away from Sylux. He just took it as a compliment.

Spire looked at the corpses around him. There were not very many guards in this room. Obviously the Empire didn't expect people to figure out about the keys. Or get past the scippeus, Spire mused. Spire walked up to the back of the room and took the circular key.

As soon as he took the key an alarm went off. Great, Spire thought, should have thought about that.

Skule walked into his apartment. He slammed his stuff down on the ground. A beeping was going off.

"KITOKO!" he yelled.

"What?" She asked frightened. Her life had been a living heII since Trace left.

"How long?" he said, "Has that been going off?"

Kitoko looked over to the alert system, "Just barely, what's going on?"

"Trace," Skule whispered to himself and shot out the door again.

Spire rolled into a ball and crawled on the wall over the next key room. Krikens past under him running into the room he just left. When the coast was clear Spire dropped down and transformed into his biped again. He opened the door to be greeted by five guards. He shot three magmaul blasts into them.

"Easy."

A kriken smashed his arm into Spires's head. Spire turned around with a confused look on his face. The kriken had a pained expression with tears in his eye while he held his arm, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" he cried.

Spire shook his head, "I sorry if I could I would try to not be so hard but I guess that's what you get when your rock. With that he brought his much harder fist down onto the poor kriken.

Spire grabbed the key and moved for the door.

"Freeze!" a score of kriken were at the door.

"Figures," spire sighed as he charged his magmaul. He fired it into the group and rolled into his dialanche. Krikens flew as he smashed into them. Spire rolled past them, just one more to go.

Sylux stepped on a fallen kriken. The last battle had really worn him out but he did it! He cleared the entire room.

Just when he was about to lay down the door burst open with a screaming Spire running through it. He was being chased by two score of kriken.

"Aww, come on!" Sylux exploded as Spire shot past him towards the cell. Sylux fired his shockcoil at the oncoming krikens. One tried to sneak past him; Sylux grabbed his arm, pulled him to the ground and fried him.

Spire place one of the keys in its place. He flew against the cell wall. A triskellion had slammed itself into Spire. Spire slammed his arm cannon into the kriken and fired. The triskellion flew in the air about fifteen feet. Spire jumped up and ran around the cylinder cell towards the next lock. He stopped in his tracks for a red beam hit the wall right in front of him.

Krikens came at Spire from all sides. They surrounded him and shot. Spire jumped up and pounded the ground while letting his body curl into a ball. He went to a kriken and let his body separate into two. The halves spun around his crystal core and smashed into the kriken. He flew and the others reacted by transforming into triskellions. It was chaos as triskellions flew past the stone ball. A couple hit they're target but were swiftly taken down. Spire rolled up side of the cell and continued along there. Spire was slowly passing into unconsciousness. He had to keep pushing though. All he had to do was place the last key; then he was done. Just a little farther, he thought. Finally he reached the last lock. Spire transformed into his biped and ran up to it. He quickly placed the last key. A bright beam of light rose from the force field covering the door at the top of the prison.

The krikens looked up at the beam as it disappeared, "The prisoners! Quickly we must intercept them!" one commanded the rest.

"Trace, its time!" Samus screamed.

Trace slowly, nervously rose; he was still convinced he couldn't fight.

Several krikens dropped into the prison cell. Samus kicked one away and kneed the other. She took the imperialist ammo and threw it at Trace. He grabbed it out of the air and stuck it in his arm cannon. A kriken snuck up behind Samus. Trace shot at him but missed. The kriken turned and shot at Trace who ducked just in the nick of time. Trace knew it, he lost it, and he couldn't fight anymore. Trace ran and hid as far away as he could.

Samus punched and kicked. It was all she could do to fight. Eventually though, she knew, she would be to exhausted, and the krikens would keep coming. Just as she kicked one away a red beam came down barely missing her by and inch. Samus looked up, a kriken smiled, "Good bye," he said. Bam! He was knocked away be a stone arm.

"Good bye!" Spire chucked.

"Spire! I am so glad to see you!" Samus said excited.

"Likewise, grab my arm!" Spire lowered his arm into the cell.

"Come on Trace!" Samus grabbed onto one of the crystals growing on spire. Moments later Trace came and did the same. Spire lifted both of them with ease.

When they were on the ground Samus hugged Spire.

"There will be time for a reunion later, but for now…" Spire pointed out to the battle. Sylux in lockjaw had just completed his infamous triangle and killed three krikens, "I don't think he can last much longer," Spire said.

"You promised you would help me get away," Samus accused.

"And I will, but we can't just let Sylux die."

Samus looked reluctant, "Very well."

Sylux was actually doing quite well. He fired the shockcoil at a kriken and felt it recharge his near death body. He was surprised to see Spire fighting by his side.

"Did you get Samus and Trace? Can we leave?" he yelled over the noise of battle.

"Sylux, good to see you again," Samus said appearing on his other side.

"You too." Sylux said as he fired a missile at a group of kriken. It was killing him not to attack Samus but with Spire right next to him it didn't seem like such a good idea, "Where's Trace?" he asked instead.

"Umm, he's not in any condition to fight right now," Samus kneed a kriken in its floating head.

"Great."

The group of krikens was getting noticeable smaller. The hunters made their way the door, still firing. Samus opened it and bolted.

"Hey! Where is she going?" Sylux tried to bolt after her but Spire tripped over himself and landed on him. Or at least that's what Sylux thought. Spire really just tackled him, good luck Samus, Spire thought.

"Your clumsiness is your downfall," said a kriken as he aimed his arm cannon at the two hunters. A red beam hit his head. The group of krikens turned their heads to find the source. Spire used the chaos to his advantage. He fired a several magmaul blasts into the group while Sylux pulled the shockcoil on the closest kriken.

Then there was silence. No one was standing but the hunters. Exhaust came sweeping down on all of them. They had done nothing but fight for hours. Trace came over to them, "come on," he said, "we have to leave now before more people come."

Spire and Sylux nodded and followed after Trace.

The three hunters walked in a hallway for a while. They came upon a corner. They were about the turn it when Skule's voice echoed in Trace's head, "Expect the unexpected." Trace grabbed the other two hunters and pulled them back.

Trace was right. Skule turned the corner and walked up to the three, "And just where do you think your going," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17,

"Who do you think you are?" Sylux said.

"Sylux," Trace and Spire warned.

"What, this guy just thinks he can waltz in and act like he owns the place?"

"I do," Skule raised his arm cannon and shot at Sylux's head. Spire pulled him out of the way just in time. Trace shot at Skule. Skule ducked and the red beam passed right overhead. Skule shot at Trace and Spire fired at Skule. Skule aimed at him in retaliation. Sylux pulled the shockcoil on Skule who screamed and wildly shot at Sylux. Sylux gasped and stepped back.

Sylux fired at Skule once again, "Run!" he commanded the other hunters. They obliged.

Skule transformed into his triskellion and rammed Sylux against the wall. He pounced after the others.

Spire looked back and saw Skule chasing after him and Trace. Knowing that Skule really only cared about Trace, Spire did what he had to do: he stopped. When Trace realized his comrade had fallen behind he turned.

"Go Trace," Spire said, "I'll hold him back."

"But-,"

"Just go!" Spire said. Trace gave him one last look and ran. Spire remembered his last encounter against the kriken prodigy. When Spire's magmaul ignited Skule he screamed that he hated fire. Spire could use this against him; he charged this weapon until flames were pouring out of his cannon. When Skule was close enough Spire released the burst of superheated magma.

Skule screamed with such pain, it almost made him look weak, almost. Spire didn't let go; he kept bombarding Skule with the magmaul until he was out of ammo. Smoke was everywhere, flames leapt up the sides of the alien building. And yet Skule still advanced upon Spire now in his biped. He grimaced and shot Spire. Spire fell over, "How are you alive!" he said discouraged.

"NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE PRODIGY!" Skule screamed.

"Why not?" Sylux said, appearing behind Skule. He raised his arm cannon and fried a screaming Skule until he was black, at least that's what he saw happening in his head. What really happened was that Skule, using his incredible reflexes Shot strait through Sylux's arm cannon, disabling it permanently. Well, at least until Sylux could get back to his ship.

Sylux looked at it incredulously, dooming himself. While Sylux stared Skule transformed once again and rammed into him. Sylux flew against the wall, weak. Skule slammed into him once again, now Sylux was in critical condition. Skule reared once again to finish the job. He lunged through the air when suddenly a rock foot came upon him. Spire kicked the blue triskellion into the air. Skule hit the burning ceiling and fell hard on the ground. Spire picked up the weak Sylux flung him over his shoulder and ran.

A few seconds after they left Skule groaned, looked around and then picked himself up. He was weak; the fight had taken a lot out of him, BUT HE COULDN'T LET THEM GET AWAY. He thought for a second then smiled. He darted off.

"Trace! Trace!" Spire yelled, where was that little bug?

"Spire hurry!" Trace walked out of thin air towards Spire.

"Wait a minute, don't tell me you watched that whole thing!" Spire exasperated.

"What?" Sylux had regained consciousness on Spire's back, "Trace, I don't know what you're going through, but you had better get a hold of yourself soon. We needed you back there and you did was cower in a corner!" Sylux groaned and his head fell.

Ashamed, Trace looked down, "Look, I know you're mad at me, with good reason, but if we don't act now Sylux will die."

Spire looked back at the limp Sylux, "You're right," with that they continued down the hall.

The hunters found themselves at the end of the hallway. What stood in front of them was a door.

Trace and Spire looked at each other, "What do think?" Trace asked.

Spire was silent. He opened to door and went through. Trace followed. They found themselves in ramp way. Spire walked up it and Trace tentatively followed. What they saw shocked them. There was a huge beam of purplish energy in the middle of an enormous silo-like room. One the floor there were computers circling the beam. Skule was standing at one the computers. He had his hands pressed against it. As he stood there his wounds were disappearing.

Skule looked at the hunters and followed their gaze, "Phazon! A destructive substance in nature but when tamed it can do beautiful things."

"How did you get it?" Trace questioned.

"I made a deal with the devil, quite literally in fact. You see, he promised me that his comrades would take out our emperor. And once that happened I would "discover" that it was the Galactic Federation's doing. The people would make me their leader and follow me to war with these beauties," Skule pointed towards the beam of phazon, "They can heal and replenish our troops ammo instantly. The Federation wouldn't know what hit them."

Sylux had awaken, "You know I really like this guy."

Spire rolled his eyes, "You mean there's more?"

Skule's smile fell, "Well not yet. But now that this one is perfected we can get started on the others."

"Who would want to destroy the Galactic Federation?" Trace asked.

"Oh think about it Trace. Who has been fighting the Federation for years?"

"Sylux?"

"Oh my," Skule shot at Trace. The battle was now started. Trace had come in completely convinced he was going to fight, but now he was petrified. He couldn't fight; Skule was too strong. He turned into his triskellion and leapt away.  
Skule advanced upon Spire and Sylux. "Ok Sylux I'm going to get you to that computer thing. Just hang on." Spire ran head on at Skule. He switched from his now useless magmaul to the missile attachment. He fired them all at Skule using the smokescreen to get away. Spire ran as fasts as was possible.

He made it to the computer and lowered Sylux to the ground. Spire placed his hand on the computer and felt a sensation he had never experienced before. He felt like he was floating and underwater, he felt like he was dieing and healing and he felt like he was weak and refreshed at the same time.

When he removed his hand he knew he could fight and win Skule. He switched back to his completely ammo-filled magmaul and charged it. He walked calmly towards the blue kriken. Skule raised his arm cannon; he wouldn't let the fool use his fire again. He shot and by some miracle the Diamont dodged it. He shot again and again. The fool kept dodging! How was he doing it?

Spire shot the charged magma at Skule. The ball barely missed and blew up a ways away. Skule smiled and raised his arm cannon.

Trace saw a red beam pass through Spire's head, "No!" he screamed. Skule looked up at Trace, he smiled and turned into the triskellion. He raced up the ramp to get to the tier where Trace was hidden.

Skule stopped in front of Trace and reared to pounce on him. Sylux came in-between them, "You killed Spire! You'll pay for that!" he yelled. He ran towards Skule with his fists bared. He swung at Skule. The kriken just laughed and threw him off the tier.

Sylux hit the ground near Spire, out cold. Skule advanced upon Trace who backed up.

"You fool, you don't know when to quit do you!" Skule had backed Trace against the protection bar. It was the only thing between Trace and the phazon. Skule smacked Trace across the face, "Don't worry I wont kill you, not yet. I'm going to first kill Kitoko in front of you, then I'll kill you!"

Trace lowered his head in shame and fear. Then something incredible happened within him. An ember that rested inside of him caught flame. Trace thought about all the things that Skule had done to him: hurt his girlfriend in the worst possible way, killed his only friends, stole his glory, banished him from the only home he had ever known, tried to kill him multiple times, Skule was the root of everything bad that had ever happened to Trace. Everything he had done, every little thing that had tortured Trace all these years, added to the flame. It was all added to the flame until the flame became a fire. The fire grew and grew until it consumed Traces very being. Trace raised his head, the fire flared even higher. Trace threw Skule across the tier. Skule landed at the other side looking down at Spire and Sylux.

Skule realized the change that had taken place in Trace; it put a fear he had never known before in his heart. He clambered to his feet he shot at Trace who dodged it. Trace shot at Skule. Skule dived and fired. Soon a battle took place that was infinitely more heated then the one in the academy.

Skule was always the better one. Not today, Trace was every bit as fast and precise as Skule today. Skule shot a beam that would have hit Trace any other day, but Trace had found an energy within himself that had made him more powerful than ever. Trace balanced on his pointed hand while the beam passed overhead he spun and flipped up. He shot at Skule who dodged the beam by a millisecond.

Sylux shot up, he looked up and saw Skule and, no that couldn't be Trace, but it was! Trace was incredible. The two krikens fought with an intensity that Sylux had never seen before. Then he remembered Spire. He crawled over to his fallen comrade. Sylux blinked back tears. Spire was a noble hero and a faithful friend. In rage and despair Sylux laid his head on Spire's body. That's when he heard it. It was a faint beat, barely hearable. No, it couldn't be. Sylux ripped off his helmet and put his ear to Spire's body. Yes! Indeed there was a faint beating; Spire was alive! Barely alive but it was enough. Sylux put his helmet back on and got to his feet. He grabbed Spire's arm and pulled; at least he tried to. Spire had to weigh a ton!

Trace dodged another beam and fired his own. Skule dodged it and fired at Trace who jumped in the air and fired again.

Sylux tried and tried, but to no avail, Spire was just too heavy. Sylux yelled in frustration. He had to think of something. When he couldn't think of anything he released his frustration on the computers.

Trace was about to shoot at Skule when he flew towards the Phazon beam. He grabbed the bar just in time. Skule grabbed it as well.

Sylux was slammed against the computer. Spire's body flew across the room and slammed into the computer that healed, "That was easy," Sylux groaned as he pressed more buttons. He fell to the ground, "That was weird."

Trace flung himself back onto the tier and shot at Skule as he jumped back up.

Spire opened his eyes to see Sylux staring down at him.

"Yes!" Sylux cheered, "your alive!"

Spire looked around in bewilderment, "H-how?" He stood up and Sylux jumped on him.

"It's good to see you too Sylux but, where's Trace?" Spire dropped Sylux.

"It's amazing, look!" Sylux pointed to the battle between Trace and Skule.

"We need to help him!" Spire cried.

Trace shot one last beam at Skule, he only had enough ammo for one more beam, he had to make it last. He aimed at Skule who did likewise. Neither moved for a while. Sylux and Spire came up to them, getting ready to shoot at Skule.

"No!" Trace called, "This is my battle!"

"Noble of you Trace. But I can see why you are stalling you have no more ammo," Skule sneered.

"And yet you stall for the same reason, am I correct?"

"Yes, you are," Skule said.

There was a moment of silence then Trace and Skule ran for each other. Skule raised his arm cannon and shot at Trace. Trace threw back his hands and bent over backwards. The shot just barely passed over Trace's head. Trace kicked up his feet and Skule ran into them. Trace kicked Skule over his head. Skule flew towards the Phazon. Trace landed on his feet and grabbed his hand in the nick of time.

"Trace, please. Spare me," Skule pleaded. Trace's anger gave out. He began raising Skule. As he did memories flooded his mind. He saw images: Skule forcing Kitoko to the floor, a red beam striking Spire's head, Sylux falling to the ground, Skule being chosen for the exile instead of Trace, seeing Kitoko crying as he was being sent away for the exile, knowing there was nothing he could do. The fire inside of Trace burned brighter then ever before. Trace lowered his arm cannon to Skule's face. Skule had a look of pure shock. Trace fired then it was done. He threw Skule's limp form into the Phazon. It disintegrated then the beam exploded.

The force released sent the three hunters flying. They landed by the entrance.

"Come on!" Trace called and ran through the door. Then everything exploded.

The three hunters ran as far as they could then collapsed. They waited a moment then started cheering.

"We did it!" Sylux cheered.

"Yeah, lets get out of here, before we have to fight anymore maniacs," Spire laughed. The hunters got up and walked towards where Sylux's ship was.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18,

A group of five enormous imperial flagships arrived at the interplanetary spaceport of Da-Xia (the plant the hunters were on). It was a grand entrance greeted with a thunderous applause by soldiers, press, and civilians all alike. Four of the ships landed at the sides of a middle one already landed. The king walked up to the middle ship and stood at attention while a ramp lowered to the ground. Out walked 10 elite soldiers. They were the best of the best (none of them could ever have hoped to match Skule though). They stood to attention in two rows; pushing the king out of the way. Then making an entrance Skule would have killed for and actually was planning on killing for walked out the Emperor. He was a black kriken and one of the few who wore a cape. He had a red eye just like Trace that watched his subjects with the intent of any true leader.

The Emperor had led his people to more victories than any other ruler in the last 1000 years. He was the hero of every kriken child. He was the arguably the single most powerful person in the entire entire galaxy. And the very person he came to see had been plotting his downfall.

The king rushed to the Emperor's side, "Your majesty, we are honored by your visit."

"Yes, it is good to see this beautiful planet once again," the Emperor examined the audience looking for his host, "I suppose I'll get strait to the point, where is Admiral Skule?"

"We are on that right as we speak, sir. He was held back by a prison escape earlier. It's not a huge problem; Skule can easily take care of it," the king said rather flustered, he knew Skule shouldn't be taking this long…

"An escape, I don't recall this planet ever having a prison escape before. Perhaps the security should be upped?"

"Well sir, our prisons have the best security known to krikens. This is an odd…" the king trailed off, the hanger doors were opening once again.

"Who dares interrupt this meeting!" the king said enraged.

"Here it is!" Sylux lead the others to his ship.

"Finally," Spire exasperated, "let's get going!" he rushed to the Delano 7 and got in.

"Are you coming?" Sylux asked Trace who didn't make a move towards the ship.

"Look," Trace pointed in the distance. A group of ships were landing in the Spaceport.

"So?"

"Those aren't kriken ships. They're Galactic Federation ships!"

"And…"

"It's an attack!"

"The Galactic Federation! What could they possibly want?" The king said as the Emperor walked up to the ships. His guards stopped surrounded him, "Sir I must advise you to stay away, the Federation isn't exactly our allies."

Several soldiers walked up to the ships. They stopped in front of the nearest one. There was a moment of silence then the ship exploded. The soldiers were killed in an instant. GF troopers jumped out of the other ships and started shooting people everywhere.

The crowd started running away. The elite kriken soldier began firing into the score of GF troopers that had gathered. Their skill was the stuff of legends.

The battle raged on. It was clearly going in favor for the GF troopers.

Trace, Spire, and Sylux snuck into the open port. They saw Galactic Federation troopers surrounding the 10 elite soldiers and…

"The Emperor!" Trace exclaimed.

"Come on Trace, it looks bad in there. We're home free! Let's just go!" Spire said.

"I have to save him," Trace said, "Without the Emperor our people will surely crumble."

"Trace, if you go in there you will die. Remember the krikens think you need to die, and the GF would just kill you point blank." Sylux said.

"But if I don't go in there my Emperor will die and the Empire will fall!"

"Listen to me Trace, you have nothing here! The only thing left for you here is death and pain. Is that what you want?"

Trace thought a moment, no that wasn't the only thing he had here, "I'm sorry Sylux but this is something I have to do. This was Skule's plan. I know it! They're my people and I have to help them, exile or not."

Trace shot the closest GF trooper. The rest turned to face him. Trace used their shock to fire another shot. It hit one of the troopers squarely in the eyes. Then the soldiers ran for Trace firing.

Trace turned into his triskellion and pounced into one of the coming. The others attacked him. Trace gave a good fight but was overcome.

Watching from a distance Sylux sighed and jumped in. He fried a soldier and kicked away another.

Spire appeared next to Sylux and fired his magmaul. The odds were rising for the krikens and the hunters.

The hunters and GF troopers were engaged in battle when the GF troopers froze. Trace followed their gaze. Samus's magnificent ship hovered a few yards away.

"Samus has come to save us!" "She's come to help." "I knew help would come!" Troopers all over began talking at once in exited voices.

Trace then knew something was wrong. These troopers weren't happy to fight the empire. They weren't fighting for the Galactic Federation, they were fighting against it.

One of the troopers screened in pain and fell to the ground. Then another followed suit. Troopers all over were just dieing for no apparent reason.

As the troopers fell a voice thundered, "NOOO! You poor excuses for soldiers have failed me! Thus you have failed yourselves…"

There was a terrible scream and all the Troopers fell to the ground. Then one of the Galactic federation ships opened. Out walked a winged giant. As he walked out something clicked in Trace, "Deal with the devil…" he whispered.

The dragon was followed by a score of Space Pirates. Samus fired into the group of Space Pirates. Her missiles scattered the pirates all except for the dragon who walked towards Samus's ship.

"We meet again Samus, but this time you won't get away." The dragon spit out a fireball at Samus's ship. It jumped an enormous height thanks a burst from its wings. Samus obviously detected immediate danger and twisted her ship around. The dragon jumped onto the ships windshield as Samus flew off.

"What, she's not even going to help us?" Sylux couldn't believe his eyes, "I mean look at the odds!"

"What are you talking about?" Spire said as he bashed a Space Pirate, "She got rid of the monster for us! And we've faced harder odds than these guys"

Sylux fried a Space Pirate, "Well your rock so maybe you don't get tired, but I'm exhausted! Besides you could have taken that guy."

Spire laughed and fired a charged magmaul burst into three pirates, "perhaps," he said.

Trace fired at a pirate and turned to the elite krikens who were just watching awestruck, "Are you going to help us or not?" he yelled.

The krikens ran over and joined the hunters against the Space Pirates.

"Good man, Trace! Now these odds I can handle!" Sylux called and fought with renewed vigor.

The monster that was Ridley was trying to claw his way through the armor of Samus's ship. Samus had to act quickly. She pulled her ship sharply up and sped through the atmosphere of the planet.

The atmosphere was getting thinner. It didn't bother Ridley though, he could breathe with minimal air, the thing that scared him was what was coming.

Higher and higher they rose. Ridley was almost through the armor, but there was a problem, the hull was getting hot. Ridley lived with flame; he could handle a bit of heat easy.

Fire was around the hull of the ship now. Ridley was at his breaking point. Samus pushed her ship to its very limits. Ridley screamed as Fire engulfed the ship and him, now it was too much. Ridley let go and found instant relief.

When Samus felt the added weight gone she pulled back down. She wouldn't have lasted another second fighting the atmosphere with here severely damaged hull. She sped back down to the ground, passing Ridley who was still falling, and hurried back to the spaceport.

"Ahh, sweet victory!" Spire said as he kicked the corpse of a Space Pirate.

The king walked up to them, "This is an outrage! Fugitives and- is that you, Trace? How dare you return here after failing the exile?"

The Emperor walked up to the hunters, specifically Trace, "An exile, a failed exile even…"

"Sir we've just gotten word, Skule is dead!" one of the soldiers exclaimed. Talking burst out.

"Your majesty, if I may-," Trace was interrupted by a rise in the talking volume.

"Quiet!" the Emperor commanded.

"I suppose I should assume that Skule's death was your doing, that means you will be punished for these crimes: Failing to complete the exile, making contact with krikens while on the exile, killing a top admiral, aiding in the escape of prisoners and fugitives-," the king said.

"Quiet Eyad! Continue Trace."

"Thank you, your majesty. If I wasn't here you would be dead. Even if this attack had failed you would be killed by Skule. I know it sounds like a hollow accusation but it's true. He has had a huge thirst for power for as long as I've known him. He was plotting your downfall so he could become emperor," Trace told the Emperor everything. All throughout his story the king and various people snorted in disbelief but the Emperor was quiet. When Trace was finished he looked up into the Emperors eyes.

"You can't possibly believe any of this," the king said.

The Emperor was silent for some time, "I believe you," he said finally," Trace looked up overjoyed, "But, you are still a failed exile and will be shot by any kriken who sees you. So…" the Emperor pulled out a knife and raised his arm. Trace flinched and waited for his doom. The emperor made three cuts in trace's exoskeleton. One on either side going through the cuts he was given when he was first exiled and one going strait down his face stopping at his single eye.

"Now people will know that you are held in high regards by the Emperor. You will never be attacked by one of us again."

The hunters cheered. Was Trace really going to get to stay?

"But, unfortunately I cannot allow you to return to society with the krikens. You are still an exile and must remain so for the rest of your life. I am sorry Trace; it's the best I can do for you."

Suddenly Samus appeared beside Trace, "Hey guys, I have to go. The Federation needs to know about Ridley and Space Pirates attack," Samus looked at the krikens, "um, I can't possibly get some fuel and repairs for my ship could I?"

The krikens agreed to refuel Samus's and Sylux's Ships as well as repair Samus's. As the hunters waited they heard a noise. They saw Ridley trying to sneak back into one of the federation ships.

Samus shot up, "Ridley! Stop him!"

Ridley looked over, sneered, and shot into the ship. Seconds later the ship rose and flew out the hanger. Samus sunk to the floor, "Great," she said, "Now I'm going to have to search all over for him."

The ships were ready. Samus was about to head over to her ship. She went up to each of the other hunters, first Spire, "Spire, thank you so much for coming for me. I don't want to think about where I would be without you," Samus hugged him.

Samus moved to Trace and hugged him even before she said anything, "I'm so proud of you Trace. You know there's only one thing left for you to do now don't you?" Trace nodded and smiled.

Samus moved on to Sylux, "Uh, thanks Sylux," Sylux was clearly disappointed, even if you couldn't see his face, as she moved towards he ship and got in. Samus quickly took off and blasted away.

The other three hunters were now in Sylux's ship, preparing to take off just when they were about to leave Trace spoke up, "Wait! I need to take a detour."

Sylux pulled up to the balcony of some kriken apartment, "You sure you want to wait to leave?"

Trace got out, "Positive," With that he walked across the balcony.

Sylux watched him walk up to door, "This is gonna be awhile," He said and took off his helmet. Seconds later Sylux was deep in sleep.

Trace walked into the familiar apartment. It was changed, what was decorated in Kitoko's liking was now decorated in plans. Skule had really made the place his. Kitoko sighed and walked around the corner. When she saw Trace she froze. The two stared at each other for several moments. Then Kitoko broke down crying. She leaned against the wall unable to do or say anything. Trace just walked up and held her rocking back and forth comfortingly.

A ringing was heard. "Wha- What?" Sylux cried out shooting awake. He answered the call, it was Kanden.

"What's Spire doing there?" he asked.

"Better question, what are you doing talking to him?" Spire asked.

"Shh, everyone, ill explain later, is everything ready Kanden?" Sylux asked.

"Actually I have bad news. I'm being chased, nothing I can't handle of course, but it's going to slow me down drastically."

"Great," Sylux said, "Is it anybody I know?"

"Actually yes, it's Noxus," Sylux and Spire stared at each other.

Trace and Kitoko sat on her couch, Kitoko was leaning into Trace.

"Kitoko," Trace said, "Why did you marry Skule?"

"Why do you think, he threatened me, but it's ok, you killed him! I'm never going be hurt by him again! You have no idea how terrible my life was," Kitoko stated.

"I have an idea, every second without you was torture. Knowing Skule could still hurt you while I was gone was the worst pain I ever felt."

"I love you Trace," Kitoko said she meant it even after five years she loved him more than anything else in the world.

"I love you more than ever," Trace said.

"Are you going to stay? Will they let you come home?" Kitoko's eyes lit up at the question.

It pained Trace more than anything to answer, "No, I can't, not yet anyway. Maybe some time in the future, but for now I must go."

Trace got up. He looked at Sylux's ship, "For now I have a duty to my friends. Please understand Kitoko, I want this more than anything in the world, the universe in fact!"

Kitoko stood up, and kissed him (once again krikens do kiss, and its not the same as when humans kiss, but the last thing I want is to explain how some random alien race kisses, so for the purposes of this story, they kissed), "I do understand, and I will do everything in my power to have them let you come back. That I promise you Trace. You will live here one day."

"I know," Trace said as he walked towards the balcony, "I will return, but for now I must go. I love you Kitoko." And then Trace walked away, from everything he had worth living for.

Kitoko watched him as he left. He got in the ship and it blasted away. She smiled and went back inside.

END OF PART 2


	19. Chapter 19

PART 3:

Chapter 19,

A great conflict was about to end in the icy slopes of Utam 2. Noxus looked down upon his prey. Kanden's yellow form stood out against the white background.

Noxus had chased the abomination across the galaxy since the Almbic Incident. It was his duty to defeat all evil that he came across. Kanden was evil manifested, he didn't care for civilians, and he killed everyone in his way and laughed about it.

Now Noxus was going to end it all. He watched as Kanden dismantled the Icy Avenger, his beloved ship. A shame that would slow Noxus down once he killed Kanden. It was time now.

Noxus slid down the slope he watched from. He hid behind a pillar of ice like the ones found at Vho, Noxus was right at home. He peeked behind it looking for Kanden.

"Looking for someone?" Kanden's voice was behind Noxus. Great, Noxus had given himself away.

"It's time, abomination. The end has come," Noxus spun around and fired at Kanden. The super soldier dodged it easily and fired a charged shot of the Volt Driver. Noxus jumped away, but it was no use. The charge hit him and his visor when haywire. Noxus couldn't see properly.

When his visor cleared Noxus looked around, Kanden was nowhere to be found. Dismayed Noxus fell to the ground. He couldn't let the abomination get away this time. Noxus looked up, "I swear this, you will pay for your sins!"

Trace leaned against the window of the Delano 7. He was going to miss Kitoko sorely. How many years would he have to wait this time, three, five, or even seven?

Sylux and Spire were discussing the situation of Kanden, "Kanden is a super soldier! He could easily take on Noxus!" Spire said.

"Noxus had a few good tricks up his sleeve. Remember he has a power none of us have: he can freeze people," Sylux argued.

"I still think-,"

"I don't care! Kanden is my brother and I won't risk it!" Sylux cried.

"What!" Trace and Spire blurted out at the same time.

Noxus followed Kanden's footsteps. They led him under an arch. Kanden jumped down off the arch and in front of Noxus. He fired a volley at Noxus. Noxus jumped off the wall and fired a shot at Kanden. It was far off, "what was that!" Kanden laughed, "Wait-," the shot slammed into Kanden from the behind.

"You'll pay for that!" Kanden charged his arm cannon and fired it at Noxus. Noxus was ready for it. He ran behind the pillar and the charge hit that instead.

"Ha!" Noxus appeared from behind the pillar and froze Kanden who had been recharging his arm cannon. Noxus walked up to his frozen form, "Justice is done."

Noxus aimed his arm cannon at Kanden's head. He was about to shoot when, "CRACK!" The sound echoed all through the mountain range Noxus and Kanden fought in. Noxus slowly turned his head to the arch. There was a giant crack where Kanden had shot. The crack kept growing until it was through the entire arch. Noxus started walking backwards. Other cracks were now splintering from the large one. Noxus ran for his life.

As he ran the arch came tumbling down. Tons and tons of ice fell. Kanden franticly tried to break free. His arm cannon burst out of the ice then his other arm. Using every ounce of his strength he broke free. Wasting no time Kanden ran the opposite direction of Noxus.

Snow billowed up as the tons of ice crashed into it. Noxus Dived into the snow, shortly after a blanket of snow fell upon him. Giant blocks of ice at least thirty feet high and wide crashed inches form Kanden. The force sent him and a wave of snow flying away.

"What can Kanden use to get away? Come on guys, think!" Sylux said impatiently.

"Just be glad we're helping you! Well call Kanden lets see what he has in his accessories," Trace said.

"Good idea," Sylux called out to Kanden. Nothing happened for several minutes. Finally Kanden picked up, "Yes?" he groaned. Snow was practically covering him.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Sylux asked in shock.

"Snow," Kanden groaned.

"Hey, Trace needs to ask you something."

"Tell that ant that it can wait."

"It's to help you, slug!" Trace yelled.

"Oh then, do ask."

"You don't happen to have a certain poison in your access?"

"Yes, which one?" Kanden asked.

Noxus stood up and shook off the snow on him. He looked at the wreckage, "Now to look for the body, no way even a super soldier could have gotten out of that one."

Noxus walked over to the mass of fallen ice. When he got to the pile he heard a yell. Kanden jumped down from the top of the pile firing at Noxus. Noxus skillfully dodged the shots and fired his own volley at Kanden. Kanden landed on a slab of ice tilted down. He fired while sliding down. Judicator blasts bounced off the ice in front of him. Kanden slid into the air. He transformed midair and slithered towards his ship.

"Where do you think you're going?" Noxus called and chased after him. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The Stinglarva in front of him laid a bomb. It came after Noxus who jumped over it as it exploded. Kanden laid another bomb which Noxus Jumped over. He slammed into a stone wall. "Ow, what the-," Noxus examined the wall in front of him. There was a hole in it big enough for his alt to fit through.

Noxus turned into the famous Vhoscythe and went through. On the other side Kanden rummaging around in his ship. Noxus transformed back into his biped, "Perfect," he said as he charged his Judicator. When Kanden came out of the ship Noxus shoved his arm cannon into the ground and fired.

Kanden turned just in time to see Noxus. Then he was covered in ice. Noxus walked up to him, "That was a new technique I've been working on. I call it the Shadow Freeze. I can freeze people from a far distance using it,"

Kanden broke his head free, "Very useful." Noxus chucked and raised his arm cannon, "Kanden I hereby give you the death sentence for these crimes: mass murders, destruction of great building, and destruction of the peace."

"Sorry but I don't plan on dieing today," Kanden said. The ice around his arm shattered as he thrust it forward. His fist struck Noxus in the upper arm, the spot with no armor.

Noxus looked down at his arm. There was a syringe sticking out of it. Kanden was smiling, "wait for it."

Noxus gasped and fell to the snow covered ground, his innards felt like they were on fire, "What have you done to me?" he spat.

Kanden chuckled, "I don't know whether you know this or not but the Kriken empire is going through an epidemic. I just injected a virus in you that has only one cure and it is found at this planet," Kanden dropped a disk, "The coordinates, don't lose them, I'll see you there," Kanden laughed his sinister laugh and went into his ship. Moments later the ship took off.

Noxus arrived at his ship gasping for air. Then he remembered, the Icy Avenger was partly dismantled. Noxus let out a yell of frustration and pain.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20,

Sylux landed the Delano 7 on the surface of the planet the Diamonts inhabited. They were on a plateau overlooking a valley. Spire walked to the edge and looked down. There was another battle going on between the Diamonts.

"Of course," Spire said and sank to his knees in despair.

Trace knelt down besides Spire.

"I still can't believe they really are a fallen people," Spire said sadly as he looked upon the fighting Diamonts.

"Then we'll just have to pick them back up," Trace said.

"But you said before-,"

"I said a lot of things. I have learned something since then: teamwork and friendship can conquer anything," Spire looked up at Trace, "The odd have been against us this whole time. Getting out of the prison in the empire, defeating Skule, taking on scores of Krikens, and I saw the Scippeous that guarded me, there is no way two people should have been able to take that down. If we could accomplish all that then who's to say we couldn't easily bring your race back to order."

Spire smiled, "Your right, thanks Trace," Spire got to his feat, "I will save my people!"

Sylux walked up to the pair, "Well, I hate to break up you two lovers but Kanden's ship just entered the perimeter."

"Hey, I've got a girlfriend," Trace said as he walked back to Sylux's ship.

"Meh, I'm sure there are plenty of women down there who would want me," Spire said pointing towards the battling Diamonts.

"Like them feisty do ya, Spire?" Trace said as Sylux burst out laughing.

Noxus sped towards the planet Kanden gave him the coordinates for. He was quite sure that Kanden had been telling the truth, which would be his type of sick joke.

The pain in Noxus's body forced him to put the ship in autopilot. Rebuilding the Icy Avenger had taken a lot out of him. Noxus closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

Noxus was meditating on one of the ice spires that were found on Vho. As he meditated the spire began to shrink. Noxus looked down and saw a fire surrounding the ice. Kanden was watching nearby and laughing his maniac laugh. The flames grew higher and higher until they completely consumed Noxus.

Noxus awoke with a start. He winced once he felt the burning in his body. He was near a large brown and red planet, "This must be it," He gasped.

Noxus landed in a clearing outside the entrance to a cave. There was a river of lava flowing into the cave. Where could the cure be? Noxus wondered.

"Looking for this?" Kanden came out of the cave. He was holding some sort of red vine in his hand. The vine was dripping a red liquid.

"You expect me to drink that?" Noxus asked disgusted.

"Only, if you want to live."

"Ok then, give it here," Noxus said coolly.

Kanden smiled and dropped the vine. He stomped his foot on it and the liquid squirted out, "Sorry, but if you want it you're gonna have to go in there to for it," Kanden pointed towards the cave, "But I better warn you now, this planet doesn't like to part with its blood."

"Wha-,"

"Good luck," Kanden pointed his arm cannon at Noxus.

Noxus was not looking forward to a fight, not in this condition. He charged his arm cannon. Kanden came rushing forward arm cannon blaring. Noxus ran forward and let go of his charge just at the right time. He looked back to see Kanden frozen in place. Noxus use this chance to get a head start. He ran as far as he could in the cave but shortly had to stop because from lack of breath. The poison was making him weaker.

As Noxus rested he heard the sound of shattering ice, "Oh no," he said and ran farther down into the cave.

Lungs burning Noxus used every ounce of his remaining strength to run. Then he fell to the ground. Something had tripped him. Noxus looked up, no, not something, someone.

Spire grabbed Noxus and lifted him to the ground. But, it wasn't Spire; the diamonts spires were purple, not orange. "Save me," it begged. Next thing Noxus knew the diamont was being pulled back screaming. A hand made of lava had grabbed it and pulled it into the lava river.

"Whoa," was all Noxus could say. Then five other diamonts dropped from the ceiling and surrounded Noxus. What is going on, Noxus thought. A diamont shot at Noxus who dodged and fired the judicator at him. It hit the diamont square in the eye. The beast screamed and shot blindly back. The blast hit one of the other diamonts who fired back in retaliation. The shot killed the first diamont but the diamont next got hurt as well.

Noxus could see that this was quickly going downhill and snuck out of the fight. Just in time, for the diamonts had clearly forgotten their guns and decided that fists were a much more useful tool.

"Hello again, Noxus," Kanden said. He had watched the whole thing.

"Did you know about that the whole time?" Noxus asked referring to the diamonts.

"Mmm, yes," Kanden said.

"You're sick," Noxus said and fired his weapon at Kanden. Kanden dodged it and dodged the ricochet as well. He fired several blasts at Noxus some of which hit. Noxus doubled over in pain. Panting Noxus charged his judicator and ran at Kanden. Kanden charged his weapon and ran towards Noxus. Noxus fired off his judicator, a large circle of frozen plasma went out in all directions. Kanden had fired the volt driver at the same time. The charge smashed into Noxus and he spun through the air. Noxus smashed into the hard ground. He tried pushing himself up when a foot came down upon him.

"You should have let it go after the Almbic incident. Abomination or not I am a one of the most powerful bounty hunters in the universe," Kanden hissed into Noxus's ear. No, Noxus had missed.

Kanden aimed his weapon at Noxus's head. "Oof!" a Dialanche had smashed one of its lava blades into Kanden. Noxus pushed himself up wincing. Kanden turned into the Stinglarva and fought against the diamont. Noxus took his chance and ran away.

Noxus ran to the end of the tunnel and found himself in an enormous cavern. There was a huge lake of lava in the middle. Crawling along the floor and walls were some species of snakes. But were they snakes? No, they were the vines that Kanden had. Finally!

Noxus rushed over to the nearest vine and tore some away. Noxus quickly drank the liquid from the vine. As the fire inside of him subsided Noxus took note of something, the liquid tasted like blood. Then it dawned on him, the vines were actually, "Veins," Noxus whispered.

Noxus heard laughter behind him, "That's correct," Kanden said as Noxus spun around.

"You won't get away with that foolish attempt of murder," Noxus said, "Poison wont stop me."

Kanden laughed, "Oh, please if I really wanted to kill you I would have done it long ago."

"Then why are we here?" Noxus asked venomously as he raised his gun.

"You're here because I have an errand to run and I need someone to look after you," Kanden said.

"I'm not a child, especially not yours."

"No, then why do you insist of following me?" Kanden mocked.

"To rid the universe of a great evil!" Noxus fired at Kanden.

Noxus was able to fight much better now that the virus was out of his body. He charged his judicator and shoved it into the ground. Moments later Kanden was frozen. Noxus walked right up to Kanden and raised his arm cannon. The last thing Noxus saw was relief in Kanden's eyes. Why would Kanden look relieved? Then Noxus felt a something hit his head and his vision went black.

Noxus woke up and found himself bound in some sort of cord. He saw Kanden speaking with three hunters he had not expected to see: Spire, Trace and Sylux.

"We had better go, Sylux," Kanden said.

"Alright, you two please watch mister righteous over there. We'll be back soon," Sylux said to Trace and Spire.

"Sure." "Alright."

Sylux sighed and looked a Kanden, "Well, let's get started," the two went to their ships, and moments later the ships took off.

Spire walked over to Noxus, "Good to see you again, ice boy," Spire said in a slightly sinister, sarcastic way. Noxus had not made many friends during the Almbic Incident.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21,

"You won't get away with this! As soon as I get out of these ropes you will pay for this kidnapping! I swear it!" Noxus had been talking like that since Sylux and Kanden left.

Spire and Trace were hiking up a mountain with Noxus still bound flung over Spire's shoulder, "As soon as I find something to cut these ropes you two are so going down. I will not stand for this! Abduction is one of the greatest sins known! And here you are committing it! You better believe I'm going to punish you for this," Noxus rambled on.

"Spire," Trace begged, "just one headshot and our misery will end. Please I'm begging you!"

"Why you honor-less excuse for a-," Noxus began.

"Don't even think of finishing that sentence Vhozon!" Trace threatened.

"Oh, I'm going-,"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Spire yelled. Trace and Noxus did indeed shut up. They hiked for a few rare minutes of peace.

"Now that I can finally hear myself think, where is that cave?" Spire said.

"How should we kn-," Noxus began.

"Don't you even start or I'll let Trace shoot you."

Trace gave Noxus a smug look to which Noxus scowled. Spire rolled his eyes and examined the barren landscape. The mountain was basically a giant pile of dirt and rock. Spire searched for the cave he had hidden his ship in before he left to save Trace from Skule. It wasn't here, but it had to be Spire was sure of it.

"Can I say something?" Noxus asked.

"No," Spire and Trace replied at the same time.

"Spire, you said your ship was supposed to be here. How are we going to travel without it?" Trace asked annoyed.

"It is here, in some cave but I lost the cave I hid it in!" Spire and Trace began searching the mountain side frantically.

Noxus sighed, "You're not going to see it."

"And why wont I, Ice Boy?" Spire said irritated.

"I was trying to tell you before, look at the uneven texture over there," Noxus motioned his head, "The entrance caved in."

Spire and Trace looked where Noxus pointed out, "Oh."

Spire set down Noxus, "Watch him," He told Trace. He walked over to the caved in entrance and turned into his dialanche. He rolled up to the entrance and spun out his lava blades. He used them to dig through the cave in. Spire quickly disappeared from sight. A few minutes later Spires ship blasted through the rocks and landed near Trace and Noxus.

Spire jumped out and grabbed Noxus, "Hey, where do you think you're taking me?"

Spire chuckled, "The cargo hold."

Noxus complained but was quickly quieted when Spire threw him in and closed the hatch. Trace chuckled and climbed into the copilot seat. Spire came around and sat in the pilot's chair, "Now to find out what the deal is with my people," he said as the ship blasted off.

Sylux landed on the surface of a desolate planet. The oxygen levels were low and there was poisonous gas billowing up from the ground. There was a lone laboratory in the distance. Sylux stepped out of his ship. His power suit purified the air.

"Kanden, that isn't the place you were mutated, is it?" Sylux asked.

"No, I destroyed that long ago," Kanden replied, "I found this when I was trying to figure out my past."

Sylux looked at the laboratory with awe; this could be the answer to all his searching. He could finally have ended the mystery of his brother.

Too long had Sylux searched the galaxy for his missing brother, here was the end of it all. He was finally going to get the reunion he had spent the past seven years hoping for.

"Look, Diamonts," Trace pointed out. Spire looked down, there were indeed Diamonts and better yet they weren't fighting. Spire pulled his ship down to land.

Diamonts watched as the ship landed. Some of them had half a mind to show that massive bird what's what.

Spire walked out of the ship and yelled, "DO ANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" The diamonts were getting angry, this guy obviously was trying to fight, and that's why he was yelling.

Trace walked out, "YOU HEARD HIM, ANY OF YOU SAPS UNDERSTAND US?" A diamont shot at them. Then once again there was fighting all around. Trace dodged magmaul blasts and fired the imperialist at a diamont.

Spire sighed and charged his weapon. He fired it at a Diamont running across the field. Another Diamont fired at Spire. Spire dodged it and fired at him. Trace and Spire made their way to the middle of the fight. Diamonts were shooting at each other and rolling around in dialanche form. Trace picked off Diamont after diamont while Spire shot his magmaul into groups of fighting diamonts.

Spire was charging his magmaul and when he heard a voice, "Follow me, I've got answers," Spire and Trace spun around and faced a diamont with red spikes.

"Hurry!" the diamont said.

"Whoa! You can talk!" Spire said taken aback.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, now hurry!" The diamont said and ran towards Spire's ship. Spire fired his charged magmaul into a group of five diamonts and ran after him. Trace followed shortly behind still picking off Diamonts.

The diamont climbed into the back of Spire's ship, "Take off, now!" Spire and Trace climbed into the front. Spire took off in a flash.

They landed outside a cave dug out in a cliff. Spire, Trace and the strange Diamont hopped out of Spire's ship. They heard a pounding, "What's that?" asked the diamonts.

"Noxus," Spire laughed, "I forgot all about him!" Spire walked over to the cargo hold, opened it, and flung Noxus over his shoulder. He walked back, "Ok, let's go."

"What, did you forget me you big dumb oaf? I swear I've never been treated so badly in my life. As soon as I get out of here, you are so going down…"

"Shut up!" Spire commanded, "So who are you? Why aren't you like the other diamonts?"

"I will explain everything inside," The diamont said, "come."

The group was sitting in a circle talking.

"To answer your first question, my name is Zeroun. I am one of the oldest diamonts living one this planet," the diamont, Zeroun said.

"Wait, are you saying there are still other diamonts out there?"

"Not if the Magrites got to them already, but either way this is by far the largest civilization of diamonts in the galaxy. But that is not important right now. We must discuss what is wrong with the people of Pyralan."

"Pyralan?" Trace questioned.

"You don't know the name of this planet? Well its Pyralan; has been for at least 100 years."

"Well that's interesting and all," Noxus said, "But why did you drag us here?"

"Strait to the point, aren't we? Well you better sit back, it's quite a story. It started years ago, At least five. I was going about my business when a massive comet struck the surface. People went over to see it, those were the first infected. They weren't themselves after that, all their reason was lost, they treated everyone like their enemy, and they became primitive. I never went to see the comet, I was too busy. Days later even more comets came, the same think happened to other people, but it didn't stop there the comets kept coming, eventually our whole race was turned against one another. Then it started getting bad. The planet seemed to be turned against us. The precious blood that ran through this planet was killing us. It came out of the lava and grabbed random diamonts, and then it would drown them. That drove us even further until you found us in the state we are in."

"Wow," Spire said, "At least I have a lead now," Spire looked outside, it was dark, "We had better get to the ship now," He got up and Trace got up behind him, "Thank you for your time."

"No, why don't you stay? It will get cool out there; it's always warm in my cave. Besides its not everyday I get to talk to someone," Zeroun said.

Spire and Trace exchanged a glance, "Very well we will stay the night."

It was the dead of night. Spire and Trace were fast asleep. Noxus, on the other hand, could not sleep at all. He lay on his side with his eyes open; captivity did not suit him well. Noxus heard a noise and froze. Moments later he heard a tearing and felt the cords binding his loosen. Noxus was free! He jumped to his feet. Zeroun motioned for him to follow him outside the cave.

When they were outside the cave Zeroun spoke in a hushed voice, "I couldn't stand to see you suffer. I've been a prisoner far too long."

"What do you mean?" Noxus questioned.

"Noxus, there are different forms of captivity. When I'm around my own kind, making the slightest face could get me killed."

"Hmm, I'm sorry, thanks for helping me though," Noxus replied.

"I suggest you leave now, get as far as you can."

Noxus nodded and took off. Zeroun watched as he ran away, he called on his wrist communicator, "I've got one of them away from the others, he knows too much, kill him now. I'll work on the other two."

Noxus ran at least two miles then took a rest. He sat against a cliff, regaining his breath when he heard a noise. He looked around and saw nothing. Noxus readied his weapon and raised it. He took a step way from the cliff when a small rock fell on him. Noxus looked up to be greeted by a creature jumping down on him. They rolled for a second until Noxus blasted the attacker off. Noxus jumped to his feet. Then he gasped, his attacker was a, "Space Pirate!"

The pirate ran for Noxus blasting away while raising his blade. Noxus dodged the shots and charged his arm cannon. The Space Pirate thrust his blade down at Noxus, but Noxus had released his charged weapon just in time. The blade was frozen just centimeters from Noxus's head. Noxus let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, what did you do to Gambo?" a Space Pirate was behind Noxus. Noxus shot at him. He ran charging his Judicator.

"Earvin, I got Zeroun's call," another Space Pirate appeared. "Wha?" Noxus froze, Zeroun was with these guys! Spire and Trace were in trouble! What did he care?

Noxus thrust his arm cannon into the ground and fired. He missed the space pirate! The two pirates backed Noxus into the cliff; they were on either side of him.

Noxus looked back and forth between the two. The Pirates closed in on Noxus. He shot one in the face and then elbowed the one behind him. He grabbed the one he shot and threw him into the other. A blade came down just in front of Noxus; the first Space Pirate had unfrozen. Noxus kicked him away and shot the Pirate he elbowed; finishing him off.

Only two left. They shot at him, Noxus charged his gun and backed next too one of the Space Pirates and put his arm cannon into the ground. He fired, freezing the one next to him and the other. Noxus used the time he had to finish the pair off.

Noxus understood now, the comets had to be that dreaded substance, Phazon. That's what was turning this planet against its people and its people against each other. It was all the Space Pirates doing, the question it though, what would the Pirates want with Pyralan?

This was something that Spire had to know, but after the way he had treated Noxus, would he be willing to help? And once he went back it would probably just be back to the cords. But if he didn't go back a terrible crime would be committed, Zeroun would murder Trace and Spire. Noxus knew that whether he wanted to return or not he would be breaking the Vhozon way not to. He had to return.

"Traitor!" Spire spat. He was tied, with the cords he had used to bind Noxus, to Trace. Zeroun had bound the two in their sleep.

"I'm sorry Spire, but you know too much," Zeroun said.

"Yeah, everything you told us," Trace replied.

"It has to be done, the diamonts are meant to be a fallen people, and only you can bring them back. I can't allow that," Zeroun pointed his arm cannon at Spire, "Good bye."

"Good bye," Noxus was at the entrance to the cave. Zeroun spun around, and found himself frozen; Noxus had used the shadow freeze.

"Noxus!" Trace said, "I can honestly say I'm glad to see you! But why did you come back for us? I thought you would be long gone by now."

"I was attacked by Space Pirates," Noxus said as he shot though the cords binding the other two hunters, "and realized you two were in danger."

Spire looked at Noxus, "Why did you help us, especially after the way we treated you?"

"I have a personal history with the Space Pirates. If they're here I'm more determined to help you then ever, but I'll explain everything in the ship. For now it's not safe here," Noxus walked towards Spire's ship and looked back at the dumbstruck hunters, "Well c'mon!"

Spire and Trace looked at each other, "Wow," then they ran after Noxus.

They all got in the ship, Spire in the pilot's seat, Trace in copilot and Noxus behind them, not in the cargo hold.

The ship took off for the next destination. The Space Pirates who did this would have a new fear.

"Zeroun was a failure, the hunters escaped; I think its time to call in reinforcements…"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22,

Sylux was in the waiting room, they were doing several tests on Kanden. The scientists had gotten a blood sample from Sylux and told him to wait. Now Sylux was just sitting impatiently waiting for the test results. Kanden was a lot more complicated due to the fact he was so far mutated, it would take some time for the scientists to find any trace of human in him. Sylux couldn't wait for the results, his instincts told him he was right, but it would be great to get a confirmation.

Sylux was getting bored. He looked around for something to do. There was an iInformer sitting on a floating table. Sylux picked it up and turned it on. A list of options popped up on screen. There were different choices: music, movies, celebrities, news, politics, history, etc. Sylux went to the politics category. (Have to know what your enemies are up to.) He watched for a while and decided nothing was going on in politics.

Sylux watched a bit of everything. The rock band Towertall had just released a new album. Sylux listened to a snippet of one of their new songs and went to the movie category. Movies had evolved a lot, now days they triggered all of the senses. You saw, heard, smelled, felt, and even tasted movies now. Sylux viewed several clips and moved on. Historical fact of the day: the Earth united in the year 4027. Sylux really did not like history, he moved on. In news a city had been flooded. The reporters talked about the flooding for a while. Sylux finally went to celebrities. Sylux had a firm hatred for celebrities; they were stuck up snobs who thought only of themselves. On the channel some reporter was interviewing "music sensation Katherine Wells". Disgusted Sylux turned off the iInformer and tossed it aside. There was a moment of silence while something clicked in Sylux's mind, "Katherine Wells? Kitty!" Sylux scrambled to turn the iInformer back on and went back to the interview.

"So Katherine, tell me, how does a nobody such as you rise to the top of the charts in one day?" the reporter questioned.

Katherine Wells was a beautiful, energetic, young lady with fair skin (tan of course) and brown locks of hair. Her green eyes glittered as she spoke, "Luck I guess," the reporter giggled (nerd, Sylux thought). Katherine continued, "I've got a great agent. It was him who found me on the streets of Lunica, he picked me up off my feet and, well, here I am now!" Katherine smiled her famous smile. Sylux, even though he was only watching her on a small screen, found himself smiling as well. Kitty could do that to you.

The reporter laughed, (it wasn't that funny, Sylux knew, the reporter was clearly infatuated with the pretty woman.) "Ok, last question for tonight. I have to ask, who is the lucky man?" the reporter motioned towards the ring

Kitty's smile was gone now; the camera zoomed in on the ring she was wearing. Sylux gasped and kitty started, "Oh, its- its just a ring. Something to remind me of my past," She clearly wanted to punch the reporter.

Sylux turned off the iInformer. He couldn't believe it, Kitty still had his ring! Sylux couldn't get the look on her face out of his head. She hated him! Sylux knew with good reason but it still hurt. "I never should have left her," Sylux said to himself. But, he argued, I had to find my brother! Sylux still knew he was a wrong to leave nevertheless.

"Sir," a nervous female scientist woke Sylux up, "I think- you should see this."

"Yes, did you match the DNA?" Sylux said exited. He had promised himself that as soon as he and Kanden were pronounced brothers he would go find Kitty.

"We found… something," she said.

Sylux walked into the operating room and found Kanden standing at the far wall with his back turned to the door.

"I'm sorry Sylux," He said.

"What do you mean," Sylux had a growing dread now. Something was very wrong.

The head scientist jumped in, "We were operating and discovered something, him memory cells were being blocked artificially, someone didn't want him to remember something. We started eliminating the blocks but-,"

"-But I stopped them. I know enough now," Kanden said, "I'm sorry Sylux but we are not brothers."

Sylux didn't know what to say, he had allowed himself to believe in a stupid dream he had. Sylux was angry at himself for being so foolish, angry at Kanden for letting him believe such foolishness, "you lied to me," He said coldly.

"That's not fair, Sylux, I didn't know what to think, I didn't have my memory. I thought it was a weird thought but I wanted to see if it was true or not," Kanden said, "But there's something else. I do know your brother, at least I did."

"What!" Sylux flung Kanden against the wall, "What did you do to him!" Sylux spat.

"They were going to do the tests on the boy," Kanden no longer seemed to be talking to Sylux, and rather he seemed lost in his memories, "She brought the boy to us, she though we would protect him. For two years he helped us, but he made a mistake. He had to be punished. We needed to test the Living Weapons Project. The boy was the perfect test subject. Young and strong, he would be just like the soldiers. I couldn't let it happen; I begged them to take me, perform the tests on me instead. They relented and chose me, the boy was sold and I never saw him again. I never saw anything again."

"You sold my brother? WHERE IS HE?" Sylux yelled.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him for years," Kanden looked like he was ashamed of himself.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR HIM? I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!" then something dawned on Sylux. Kanden destroyed the laboratory where his brother worked. There could have been information there, information that would lead Sylux strait to his long lost brother, "YOU DISTROYED MY ONLY CLUE! MY LAST CHANCES OF EVER FINDING HIM WERE BURNED IN THE EXPOLION OF YOUR CREATION SITE! YOU ARE A MONSTER WHO DOESN'T DISERVE TO LIVE!" the scientists were running for their lives. They had heard horror stories of the dreaded villain known as Sylux. They had to notify the only people who could stop this.

"IT'S HOPELESS NOW! YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE TAKEN MY BROTHER FROM ME! YOU AND THE FEDERATION YOU ALL TEAR APART FAMILIES. YOU DISTROY PLANETS, ALL FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL GAIN! YOUR SICK AND TWISTED AND-,"

"SYLUX! Calm down! I didn't take your brother from you! I took him in, I protected him. I'm on your side," Kanden said.

"I know you didn't, that was curtsy of Samus Aran. I watched her do it to. But you did destroy every chance of my ever finding my brother again. You did get my hopes up and completely destroyed them in a matter of seconds. I'll tell you what you didn't do, YOU DIDN'T HELP ME ONE BIT! YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME FROM SPENDING MY LIFE SEARCHING FOR MY HOPELESS BROTHER!" Sylux steamed. His hands balled up into fists.

Kanden knew what was coming, he backed towards the door. Sylux raised his arm cannon, "I WILL NOT BE DISAPPONTED ANY MORE! GOOD BYE BROTHER!" the neutrinos of the shock coil blasted out. Kanden expertly dodged the blast and bolted out the door. Sylux chased after the mutant. Kanden ran into a dead end. He spun around to find Sylux right behind him. Sylux raised his arm cannon to Kanden. He sat there like that for a while. Sylux came to realize that he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to murder Kanden. Angry and confused Sylux ran away. Kanden couldn't believe he was actually alive. He chased after Sylux.

Kanden found Sylux taking out his anger and disappointment out on the building. Sylux kicked and punched things; he shot missiles and used his shock coil. All the frustration of these past seven years was being used to destroy this laboratory. Kanden was just watching from the background.

Sylux raged until he had exhausted himself. He ripped of his helmet and sunk to his knees. He held his head in his hands while tears fell from his face.

"Sylux, enemy of the Galactic Federation, you are under arrest," Sylux looked up, there were ten GF troopers starting to surround Sylux. Samus was watching a few feet away. Sylux slowly put his helmet back on and rose up.

"You're going to really regret coming here, especially today," Sylux said coolly, "After all it was you who destroyed my planet. It was you who tore my family apart! IT WAS YOU," Sylux pointed to Samus the troopers followed his gaze surprised by this attitude, "WHO TOOK MY BROTHER FROM ME! YOU WERE THE START OF MY DOWNHILL SPIRAL," Sylux burst up and zapped the nearest trooper. His allies tried to come to his rescue. One tried to tackle Sylux only to find himself pushed onto the floor. Three others found themselves flying after being hit by a missile.

Sylux turned into the lockjaw and set a chain bomb quickly killing another. He set a trip wire and quickly zoomed around another trooper truly relishing his scream. Sylux transformed back into his biped and fried one of the troopers. The survivors ran for their lives. Only Samus stayed in place; she hadn't moved at all.

"Aren't you going to run with the rest of those cowards?" Sylux asked coldly, "Or do you really want to fight me?"

"I'm not your enemy Sylux, I came to help you," Samus replied her voice cracked.

Had Samus been crying for Sylux? Sylux replied, "I didn't see you fighting with me."

"If you were overwhelmed I would have jumped in," Samus relied just as coldly, "What's wrong, Sylux?"

"YOU! YOU'RE WHATS WRONG! YOU HAVE TORTURED ME FOR SEVEN LONG YEARS!" Sylux screamed, "YOU AND YOUR FEDERATION!" Sylux breathed, "I can't believe that someone as kind as you would participate in the Cyclosis extermination," Sylux said.

"I wasn't! The federation asked me to help but the whole thing disgusted me! I was one of the ones saving lives. I got as much people I could before the GF destroyed the planet. Your brother must have been one of the ones I saved, if it weren't for me he would be dead," Samus said fiercely.

Sylux was stunned, "You- your not- your good?"

All of the hunters were silent ringing was heard. Sylux's Samus's and Kanden's arm communicators went off. Trace's floating head was in the screen, "Calling all hunters! Your assistance is required. We are in a dire situation," gunfire could be heard in the distance; "We were attacked by Space Pirates! We don't know how long we will last. HELP!"

After that surprising message ended everything was silent. Sylux couldn't take it anymore. He ripped of his helmet again and let himself fall against the wall. It was all so hard to take in. Everything Sylux had grown to know was twisted and turned until he didn't know what he knew anymore.

Kanden was the first to speak, "Well, I suppose we should go help our allies." Samus nodded and walked up to Sylux.

"I know how hard it is to lose your family. I don't blame you for hating the Federation. We aren't all that different you know. I hate the Space Pirates for the same reason you hate the GF," Samus removed her helmet and twisted Sylux around, she looked into his eyes, "Don't give into despair just yet, our friends need our help."

Sylux looked into Samus's eyes and nodded. He started walking off when Samus grabbed his hand twisting Sylux around, "We aren't finished yet, after we save our friends I want to hear the whole story about your brother, and maybe I can help you," Samus smiled.

Sylux returned it sadly, "Yeah, ok," he said.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23,

Spire shot a Space Pirate just as it was about to impale Trace, "Thanks Spire!" Trace gasped. The three hunters were backed up against a mountainous cliff. They were surrounded by what had to be at least three hundred Space Pirates.

When these guys want to kill you, they go all out, Spire thought as he blasted another pirate.

"Spire, behind you!" Noxus called. Spire swung his arm knocking a Space Pirate that was sneaking behind him to the ground. Spire finished him with a charged magmaul blast, "Good call, Noxus!" Spire said thankfully.

There were lasers and shots of all kind being blasted. Spire grunted when he was hit by one.

"Spire!" Trace called.

"I'll be fine! Keep fighting!" Spire winced.

Trace turned and shot a Space Pirate between the eyes. Spire recovered himself and began fighting again as a top spun past him. Noxus unhooked his arm and let it swing out. He slammed his arm into the nearest pirate who doubled over.

Trace shot another Space Pirate worried. He sent out the distress signal, but did anybody receive it?

A shockwave sounded as three ships broke out of light travel. The red and brown planet of Pyralan was looming in front of them. Sylux breathed, he would not have any more people he cared for taken from him.

Samus was distraught. She should have known the pirates were here. It all fit, the giant hands had to be powered by Phazon, and the pirates were at that kriken world which was the closest planet in the galaxy, how could she not have seen it earlier?

As Kanden drew closer to Pyralan his battle instincts kicked in. He wasn't known as the ultimate soldier for nothing. He analyzed the situation, Trace, Spire and Noxus must have been ambushed. Kanden knew that all three were skilled warriors, smart enough not to run into a trap (well, maybe not Noxus). They were probably attacked by a smaller group of Space Pirates and figured they could easily outgun those few. While they were in battle they must have been snuck up on by a much larger group of Space Pirates. They were clearly surrounded, or else the situation would not be dire. Kanden began considering all the possible outcomes of this situation.

By the time the three ships had entered the atmosphere Kanden had run through all the possibilities, none of them suited him. They all had the hunters down on the planet dieing in some way with Kanden and the other hunters dieing shortly after, except for one outcome. This option definitely wasn't optimal; as the chances of everyone surviving were still only about 5%, but it was the only chance of the other hunters surviving.

Kanden called Sylux and Samus in their ships and told them the plan; he didn't tell them how likely it was to fail, for he didn't want to worry them. Kanden shuddered, knowing you likely only had about an hour to live was a strange feeling.

The three ships passed all the clouds and continued to pick up speed. The various mountain ranges were visible between all the lava. The hunters located the others on the ground using Samus's and Sylux's ships tracking systems, Kanden didn't have one equipped on his ship yet. Now Kanden never would. They sped in the right direction.

A Space Pirate flew back as a triskellion flew into him. The triskellion pounced and pounced, Space Pirate after Space Pirate fell. Spire rolled around in his dialanche form using his lava blades to kill his enemies. Noxus was freezing pirate's using the shadow freeze technique.

He heard a noise and spun around to find a Space Pirate jumping down on him. He shot the pirate between the eyes and the corpse fell on him. It was too heavy to push off. "Great," Noxus sighed, "Just great. Spire! Trace! Help!"

A Space Pirate turned at the sound of Noxus's voice, when he saw his predicament the pirate smiled a cruel smile. He advanced upon the helpless Vhoson.

"Oh… crap," Noxus said struggling with all his might to get free. The Space Pirate flashed his deadly blade. He thrust it in the air and brought it down upon Noxus. Suddenly a red beam sliced through the air into the pirate's head.

Noxus sighed with relief, "About time, Trace," He said, "I was pretty worried."

The kriken appeared next to him firing his imperialist at a Space pirate a ways away, "your welcome," he said defensively, "there was about fifty pirates between me and you. You're lucky I even saved you in time!"

"Whatever, where's Spire?" Noxus asked as he shot another pirate.

A pirate came behind Trace and quickly sliced through Trace's left arm; it wasn't a fatal injury, the cut didn't get too deep, but it still hurt. Trace yelled in anguish and shot strait threw his assailant's skull.

"Are you alright?" Noxus asked worried.

"Do I look alright?" Trace growled, "That's it! You go find Spire yourself! I'm going to end this!" Trace turned back into his Triskellion and pounced into the horde of pirates.

"Wait!" Noxus called as he shot at another pirate, "It would be safer if we worked together!" But it was no use, Trace was deep in battle.

Noxus sighed, "Well, better find Spire," he spun around and came face to face with a Space Pirate. The pirate blasted him and he flew a ways back.

Noxus landed on his back and the pirate came closer still firing at him. Noxus rolled to his left and fired his judicator at him. The shot hit the pirate in the chest. The pirate stepped back in pain. Noxus fired again and again until the Space Pirate had fallen.

Noxus jumped up, only to be greeted by another pirate. The pirate blasted vehemently at Noxus. Noxus was ready this time; he dodged every shot and froze the pirate. He shot the pirate through the eye killing him swiftly.

Noxus quickly scanned the battlefield, he found Spire on the edge of a cliff fighting off scores of Space Pirates. "That-a boy, Spire," Noxus said quietly.

Below Spire was an enormous lake of lava (Spire would later find out that it was the largest lake on the entire planet). The cliff he was fighting on was nearly 1000 feet above the lake. Spire was scared. He was slowly being pushed back to the edge.

Pirate after pirate tried to get in to attack the 7-foot rock. Spire took them all on. A pirate sliced his sword at Spire who dodged it easily and flung him off the cliff.

Spire swung his arms smashing them into anybody within his range. As he swung he blasted his magmaul. Pirates flew as the blasts went off. Space Pirates gathered around Spire trying to overwhelm him.

Try as he might Spire just couldn't keep up with the hoards of pirates. They pushed him back to the edge. A pirate seeing his chance leaped on Spire followed by ten other Space Pirates.

Noxus stared at the scene before his eyes. He watched horrified as Spire and several pirates fell to their death.

"NO!" Noxus heard Trace yell. Trace let down his guard and tried to get to the cliff but there were too many pirates. They surrounded Trace arm cannons pointed at his head. Trace looked around; when he saw that he was defeated he raised his arms above his head.

Down Spire fell, he beat off the pirates still clinging to him. "I… am… not… losing… now!" Spire complimented each word with a fist brought down upon his opponents.

He slammed the last pirate into the wall as he fell. With wind rushing past his face he reached out with his arms. They grazed the cliff, and then as the friction from their touch brought Spire closer he was able to fully shove his hand into the Cliffside. Debris from the cliff flew off as his hands scraped against it. The effort was helping but wasn't enough. With all his might Spire shoved his feet into the Cliffside as well.

Despite all this, Spire continued to fall. "Come on… COME ON!" He cried. Finally he was slowed enough to transform. Spire quickly curled into a ball and used the spikes the stop himself.

After that Spire was able to stop. He sighed, just a few hundred feet to climb, or more accurately three or four hundred…

The pirates came for Noxus. Noxus knew they had lost and raised his arms as well. Trace and Noxus were brought together.

"We lost," Noxus sighed.

"Guess we did," Trace said hollowly. Not Spire, Trace thought, it couldn't be.

"Well, at least-,"

With an enormous roar three ships rushed overhead from behind. They rose and looped back towards the surface. The ships rushed towards the mass of Space Pirates blasting them away. Trace and Noxus recognized the three ships as Samus's, Sylux's and Kanden's.

"Wow, they actually got the message, not a moment to soon, either," Noxus said rather surprised.

The Space Pirates were terrified. One called in English, then in the language of the Space Pirates, "Kill the prisoners, Ridley has no need of them."

The pirates advanced upon Trace and Noxus, "oh, no you don't!" yelled Noxus as he roundhouse-kicked an advancing Space Pirate and shot at another. Trace shot one straight through the head.

They fought thought the mass of pirates. They would win, Trace knew then his thoughts turned to Spire, only not all of them would win, he thought sadly.

Sylux leapt out of his ship, letting it run on autopilot, it shot at the pirates running towards Sylux. They fired at both him and his ship.

Sylux fought with no joy, his joy had all disappeared when he had found he had been fighting for nothing for the past 5 years. He fried a Spire Pirate.

He wasn't fighting as well as usual; his fighting prowess was dwindled from his flying emotions.

Sylux struggled to fight against a particularly tough Space Pirate. When he finished him off he got a message from Samus.

"Sylux, I have called the federation and told them of the situation. They are sending some boys right now, we're not alone!" She said.

"Great, lead them right towards their most wanted criminal, good idea," Sylux said bitterly.

The battle was finally beginning to turn in favor of the hunters. Samus and Kanden had killed plenty from their ships with Sylux, Noxus and Trace killing nearly as much. The Space Pirates were finally beginning to flee.

Trace fought off three pirates when he heard something behind him. A pirate was screaming in pain as flames licked at his melting flesh.

"I've got your back, ant," Spare said exhausted. He had finally climbed his way up.

"Spire!" called Trace happily; he ran to the giant rock and flung himself on him.

"We're winning! Six bounty hunters are winning against hundreds of Space Pirates," Noxus followed shortly after Trace.

"So we are," Spire examined the battlefield, carcasses were scattered all over. But he also noticed something else as the six bounty hunters fought together, the hunters were almost reunited, just one was missing…

"Hurry! Hurry! Samus Aran has discovered a massive colony of Space Pirates and it's our job to eradicate them!" Corporal Rison called. Score after score of GF troopers rushed into the Federation Drop-Ship. When everyone had gotten in Rison followed and air locked the ship on his way in.

"Remember troops, Space Pirates are horrid creatures who have no love for others, they will NOT show you any mercy," Rison smiled, "so I expect you to show the same kindness to them."

Troopers raised their arms in the air and yelled their approval.

"Alright then, pilots, lets get this show on the road!" Rison called on the intercom.

There was nothing, no sound of the engines being fired, not beeping of the controls being configured, nothing.

Rison waited for a minute, and then when nothing happened he called again, "What is going on in there?" he asked impatiently.

Still nothing, Rison sighed and walked over to the cockpit; he thrust the door open and yelled, "What is taking you idiots so long!" Rison gasped, the pilots were all dead, and the one nearest him was beheaded.

"Welcome corporeal," said a sinister voice from behind him. Someone grabbed him and an energy sword appeared at his neck.

The corporeal had a look of terror as he turned his head to see his attacker. The last thing the corporeal ever saw was a green helmet with an orange visor and a red ponytail sticking out from behind.

As he finished the corporeal off, Weavel raised his hand; two Space Pirates appeared behind him. "Gentlemen," Weavel said, "destroy the ship, and then meet me back at base. Ridley seems to have gotten himself into a little predicament."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24,

Six beings were gathered around in a circle. They were an odd looking bunch for sure with species from all over the universe. The antlike kriken, the diamont make of rock and crystals, the righteous vhoson, artificial enema, the Galactic Federations most wanted criminal, and Samus Aran, the Federation's top bounty hunter.

The hunters sat in the battlefield they had been previously fighting for their lives in. They were having trouble deciding what their next course of action should be.

"I think it would be unwise for us to travel alone here, with all the Space Pirates around," Spire said.

"What are you talking about? I do it all the time!" Samus said.

"I agree with Samus if we were to separate we would make a lot faster progress," Kanden joined in, "I have made it thus far on my own… why shouldn't I be as strong now?"

"But-,"

"We would still be able to communicate, why not?" Noxus said.

"Guys-,"

"Yeah," Trace said, "We killed hundreds of Space Pirates, I doubt we would face as much anytime soon; I agree"

"YOU GUYS!" Spire yelled; there was silence as the hunters stared at Spire, "Don't let your victory make you overconfident. We almost got killed out there, I was pushed off a cliff, Trace and Noxus were captured before you all came. Yes we killed hundreds of Space Pirates, but we did it by fighting together, not alone. We couldn't hope to face that many Space Pirates alone."

Everyone was silent, until Samus spoke, "I've done it before, and I say we take a vote. I say we separate, Trace what about you?"

Trace took a deep breath, "I think we could separate."

Spire gave him a pained look; he had expected Trace to side with him in the end.

"Spire?" questioned Samus.

"We have to stick together," He said firmly.

"Noxus?"

"I don't know, Spire has his point, I think we would be ok as long as we stayed in constant contact," Noxus shrugged.

"Kanden?"

"Agreed," Kanden simply said.

"Sylux, we haven't heard from you, what do you think?"

Sylux hadn't said anything the entire time; he had just been staring at the ground absorbed in his own thoughts. He had been thinking of Kitty the entire time. He was ready to see her again. Feel the warmth of her body pressed against his, the taste of her lips-

"Uh, Sylux?"

"Huh?" Sylux barely became aware of the other hunters looking at him, and then he remembered what they had been talking about, "I actually think Spire is right, you have let a great victory get to your heads and you think that you can do anything. However, I also want to get of this blasted place as soon as possible! I suggest a compromise: let's go in pairs that way we can watch each others back and still make three times as much progress."

The others thought this over.

"Sounds like a good idea," Trace said.

Spire nodded, "Its better than being completely separated."

"Alright then," Samus said, "Who's up for-,"

Everyone raised their hands before Samus could finish.

"Ok," She said, "What are the pairs going to be?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, no one wanted to be the first to make a choice.

Trace finally spoke up, "I'll go with Spire, I guess."

Spire nodded his approval.

No one else made a move; the others didn't particularly get along too well. Samus looked at Sylux, his head was hung, arms against his knees while he sat forlornly on a rock. What Samus saw was a broken soul.

"I would like to go with Sylux," She said. Sylux looked up at her in surprise; he stared at her for a while before he nodded and said, "Okay."

Trace and Spire exchanged glances, weren't Samus and Sylux were supposed to be enemies?

"Wait!" Noxus cried, "that means I'm with-," Noxus looked at Kanden with horror, he groaned and buried his face in his hands. Of all people the he could have been paired with, the abomination?

Samus looked around her, "So the pairs are all set," She ignored a muttered no from Noxus and continued, "Let's get moving then, like Sylux, I want to get away from here soon. I have a really uneasy feeling about this place."

Spire and Trace had decided to travel on foot rather than by ship as to not risk missing anything important.

"Why can't you listen to me? I've been here for a year and yet you haven't asked for my advice once," Trace said accusingly. He stumbled as the terrain began sloping downhill.

"That's because you keep complaining about traveling on feet," Spire said matter-of-factly.

"Not true-," Trace trailed off. The bickering comrades had walking right into a pit full of diamonts.

"Not again," muttered Trace as he cocked his arm cannon.

"Hold on Trace, there's something different about these diamonts from the ones we're used too," Spire said warily, every diamont there had spikes that looked as if they were turning a deep purple, some were more purple than others.

"You are enemies to the Space Pirates," one said, Spire gasped, these ones could talk, "you will be eliminated."

Trace and Spire's eyes widened, these diamonts were working with the Space Pirates?

Noxus looked down at the lava was bubbling dangerously below him. Kanden had forced him to climb down the thousand foot cliff that Spire had fallen down earlier so that Kanden could test the lava, and test a theory he had been thinking of.

Kanden was several feet below him making faster progress than Noxus could have hoped for.

Kanden stopped and looked up at Noxus, "You coming?" he asked annoyed.

"I swear if you say that one more time I'm going to freeze you than kick you off this wall!" Noxus said as he began moving again.

"If you can get down to me in time," Kanden snickered. Being a Super Soldier had its rewards, quite often actually.

Noxus ignored his comment, breathing heavily he called, "Remind me why we can't just fly down there instead of risking our lives."

"Too risky, The Space Pirates are bound to be watching the skies."

"Too risky, he says, then what do you call this!" Noxus yelled.

"Shut up and start climbing already!" Kanden yelled back angrily.

The Hunter Gunship sped through the air. It was being chased by three Space Pirate interceptors. Samus was doing all she could to stay ahead of the pursuers. She performed barrel rolls and other evasive maneuvers to dodge the following lasers and missiles.

"Sylux, a little help would be fine!" Samus screamed panicked into her ethercom.

There was an explosion behind Samus's ship. Samus watched as the Delano 7 sped between her ship and the explosion.

There were still two ships chasing Samus, not to mention the few chasing Sylux. Sylux flew at top speed as low to the ground as he could get, which was lower than 100 feet above the ground. He was a better pilot than the pirates and was more likely to survive this close.

Samus and Sylux had no idea how close far they had traveled from their original landing spot, but what they were about to see would take their breath away.

A diamont fell to the ground having just been shot by Trace. Spire blasted at another.

"Spire, Phazon has a powerful corruption over these diamonts they are more powerful than any diamont we have faced as of yet!" Trace cried. He shot at a diamont and as if to prove Trace right the diamont dodged it easily.

Spire swung his arm at a diamont; surprisingly the diamont grabbed it and flung Spire down. When Spire hit the ground his opponent fired a charged blast of magmaul. Spire gasped, he had never been burned by the magmaul, it was the first fire to ever hurt him… and it hurt badly.

Spire yelled and fired several blasts of his magmaul at his opponent in retaliation. In his mad rage Spire killed five more diamonts. But despite his incredible display the diamonts didn't back down, they had a mission and they would accomplish it or die trying.

Trace was getting discouraged, he was hitting plenty of enemies but he was still missing quite a few on the first shot, something that didn't happen often to Trace. He imagined that Skule was watching him. Each time Trace missed imaginary Skule would laugh his cruel laugh and remind Trace of what a failure he was.

This made Trace angry; he finished off the last few remaining diamonts bitterly.

Spire looked at Trace, "What's you problem?" He said roughly.

"Those diamonts are too good! I kept missing them, what's yours?" Trace said angrily.

"FIRE HURTS!" Spire yelled into the air.

After a moment Trace and Spire looked at each other, they started to laugh. Soon the pair was rolling on the ground laughing not even sure what was so funny.

No matter what he did, Sylux couldn't get behind his pursuers. Finally after several tries and almost getting killed each time Sylux decided he would have to lose his pursuers another way.

Sylux was looking for anything to lose his enemies in; he couldn't find anything the ground was relatively flat. Then he saw it; there was a canyon to the Far East. Sylux turned his ship towards it and sped onwards. He reached the canyon and dipped down into it. Sylux checked his radar to see if the Space Pirates had followed, yes, three dots were still following him on his radar. Sylux cursed and accelerated even more.

Samus saw Sylux turn into the canyon. She didn't follow knowing her ship wouldn't be able to handle the tight twists and turns. Samus still had two Space Pirate ships following her. Like Sylux she had tried just about everything to get away from her pursuers. Samus couldn't stop in midair, like she did back when the Kriken ships had been chasing her and Spire, because unlike then, she was fighting gravity as well.

Samus would have to use the weapon. She didn't like using it, it was unstable and often the immense heat it gave off overheated her ship and it would go tumbling down to the ground.

Samus activated the Gamma-gun; a huge white beam came out of rear of her ship. It totally disintegrated one of the Space Pirate interceptors and disintegrated the left wing of the other.

The interceptor spiraled down and down, Samus could see a faint explosion erupt off one of the hills below her. Samus breathed a sigh of relief; she was rid of her pursuers.

Suddenly a high-pitched beeping went off; the Hunter Gunship began falling to the ground. Samus gasped, her ship had indeed overheated and shut down just as she had feared it would.

Elsewhere Sylux was trying to outrun his pursuers in the narrow canyon. The nimble Delano 7 was able to make the tight turns of the canyon with relative ease. The Space Pirates were having a harder time. Their ships, although designed to be swift and nimble themselves, were not built as well, for the Space Pirates had spent much more time on other (somewhat failed) projects (such as pampering and protecting Mother Brain).

Sylux turned right with the bend and found himself facing an unexpectedly close wall, he turned left just in the nick of time.

The wall caught the Space Pirates off guard and two found themselves crashing into it, the other barely made it. Sylux flew over a cataract and found himself looking at an ocean of lava.

Waves of lava flared up and crashed down. Sylux looked at them in awe and wonder. His gaze followed the ocean; there was no land in the horizon. It really was an ocean of lava. Sylux was brought out of his trance by the remaining Space Pirate ship blasting at him from the behind.

Thinking fast and more than a little irrationally Sylux flew down towards the wakes of lava. He flew just feet above the lava avoiding the many waves that seemed to be trying to bring him down. His pursuer still followed closely behind him.

Suddenly a giant lava hand, the first one Sylux would encounter although he had learned about them from Spire, came down upon the Delano 7. Sylux barely piloted his ship through the middle and index finger, drips of lava missing his ship by an inch, and the hand grasped the Space Pirate interceptor instead. Once the hand felt that it had its prey (or so it thought) it sunk back into the lava as its real prey flew off.

Samus's ship crashed into the ground with a deafening crunch. It slid across the ground flipping up dirt and rocks. Samus was shot forward into her restraining belt knocking to wind out of her. The windshield cracked as a giant rock flew into it. Through the cracked glass Samus saw her imminent death: the edge of a cliff.

Thankful that she hadn't taken her power suit off Samus thrust off her restraining belt and, clinging to the pilot's chair, lifted herself up. She struggled to the exit hatched and blasted it open. Samus looked back through the ruined windshield and gasped, the cliff was just a few yards away!

Sylux had turned his ship around and was flying back towards Samus's location, that's when he saw the Hunter Gunship. The ship flew off the cliff and dropped into the ocean.

"NOOO!" Sylux screamed. There was a splash as Samus's Ship sunk into the lava, melting as it went. Samus was dead.

Sylux flew over to the landing that Samus's ship fell off of. He quickly jumped out of his ship and rushed over to the ditch the Hunter Gunship dug out in its crash landing. The ditch started from a massive hole where the ship first hit and went all the way to the edge of the cliff. Sylux walked along it in horror.

Sylux could see many veins around. They were scattered across the plateau and ran off the edge of the cliff into the sea. There was a vein in particular that was squirming around as if it was trying to get something off it. Sylux followed its length to and found that it ran off the cliff as well. He was about to look down the cliff when an orange arm with a cannon on the end appeared.

Samus pulled herself over the cliff. She fell to the ground in exhaust. Sylux ran to pick her up.

Sylux hugged Samus, "I thought you were dead," He said worriedly.

"Why are you hugging me? Aren't you supposed to hate me?" Samus said bluntly.

Sylux stepped back in surprise, he lowered his head, "I don't know anymore," He said miserably. With that he disappeared into his ship.

Just as the sun began to set Noxus and Kanden reached the bottom of the cliff.

"GROUND!" Noxus cried when his feet touched the ground. He fell to the dirt in joy.

The hunters were on a beach next to the lake of lava. There was no sand on this beach, for there was no water to turn the dirt to sand, there was just more and more dirt; and veins.

"I never thought I would be so happy seeing so much dirt!" Noxus laughed. Kanden was vaguely happier than usual; hanging in air hadn't scared him much at all. He scanned the horizon searching for any signs of what he had expected to find down here. Kanden didn't find it, it was too dark to see very far, but he did find something else, "Diamont!" he whispered.

Noxus was still babbling on, Kanden grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth, "Shut up and follow me!" he hissed and pointed towards the two diamont moving towards them. Noxus nodded and began charging his Judicator.

"No you idiot!" Kanden tackled Noxus to the ground. When he tackled Noxus Noxus's arm cannon went off. The shot hit a rock and bounced off it into the cliff above.

Kanden dragged Noxus into a crevice in the rock, "We can't be seen!" he said roughly.

The diamonts were pointing and running over to where they had seen the purple beam fly off the rock.

Noxus and Kanden held their breath as they saw the feet of one of the diamonts come down at the mouth of the crevice. Noxus could have reached out and touched it. There was something different about this diamont; it had deep purple crystals.

The diamonts stayed there for a while before finally walking off. The two hunters waited until they could no longer here the sound of the diamonts. Kanden lifted his head wearily; the diamonts were walking due east away from the hunters.

"It's safe," Kanden told Noxus.

Noxus crawled out of the crevice, "What's the problem, its not like they weren't space pirates," Noxus looked at Kanden who was staring at the diamonts with a sullen look in his eyes, it made Noxus weary, "Right?"

Kanden looked at Noxus, "I don't think Space Pirates are the only people working against us anymore. I may be wrong but it seems that the Diamonts are slowly slipping into the Space Pirates control."

Sylux watched the sunset from the windshield of his ship. He had his power suit off and was leaning back in the captain's chair. There was a knocking at the hatch.

"Come in!" Sylux yelled. Samus opened the hatch.

"Hi," she said a bit tentatively.

"Hey," Sylux said lifelessly not even turning around.

"Uh, I'm kind of without a place to stay, right now…" Samus said timidly.

"The outside is pretty toasty," Sylux said bitterly, refusing to look at Samus.

Samus sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I know you've been through a lot lately and I haven't been helping much. The truth is I'm not very good around people. I'm always working alone on missions and it's kind of unnatural for me to be working with someone."

Sylux eventually looked at Samus, "Fine, you can stay," He said.

"Thanks," Samus went and sat beside Sylux in the copilot's chair and took off her helmet. She watched the sunset with Sylux.

"No matter what plant you're on a sunset is a beautiful thing," She said dreamily.

Sylux smiled, "Yeah, I guess so."

The two watched the sunset until the sun went down. With mixed emotions Sylux got up and walked over to his quarters, a small room with a cot and table, Sylux pulled a curtain back so you couldn't see into the room.

"Good night," He said, not quite so cold as before.

Samus took note of this, "Good night," She smiled.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25,

Sylux awoke at dawn. He groggily walked into the cockpit and found Samus still asleep in the copilot's chair. Sylux gasped: this was his one chance to kill her, with her being armor less and asleep He quickly grabbed a knife from his quarters. He raised it up above Samus's head.

Sylux stood there in indecision. A few weeks ago Sylux would have taken this chance without a second thought, but a lot had happened these past few weeks. Samus had told Sylux that she had saved his brother, not killed him. But Sylux had lived on hatred for seven years. Could one story change all that? What if Samus had lied to save her own skin?

Sylux looked at Samus again and snorted in vague humor, why did his sworn enemy have to be so pretty? It wasn't really helping Sylux think very clearly. Finally, unable to kill Samus, Sylux threw the knife down to the ground and went back to his quarters. He threw himself down on his cot in frustration. After a while he fell back into a fitful sleep. He was once again haunted by the dreams that had all but disappeared years ago.

Galactic Federation Troopers were running around screaming out orders. One grabbed a woman by the hand as she ran past. A young man saw this and ran towards her screaming.

"Mom! Get your hands off of her!" The man yelled as he tried to rip her away from him.

"Sir, we must take her in for decontamination!" the GF trooper said trying to calm the man.

"No, you can't!" The man tried desperately to fight the trooper off.

"MOM!" the young man screamed with tears streaming down his face as the trooper dragged his mother away from him.

"John! Run!" The woman yelled. The young man looked behind him to see a platoon of troopers coming towards him.

"John, hurry over here please! We can't stop!" the young man turned towards his wife-to-be and fourteen-year-old brother and ran towards them.

With anger and heavy heart John led the last of his family away from the destruction and terror.

Noxus awoke to find that he had been laying on Kanden while he slept.

"AAARRRG!" he screamed and jumped up, hitting his head on the roof of the crevice. The two hadn't left the crevice they were hiding in since last night.

The noise woke Kanden up. Instinctively he shot up, his arm cannon pointed towards Noxus.

When Kanden realized it was only Noxus he said, "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

"I was sleeping on you! Do you have any idea how many evil sins you have just crawling over your skin?" Noxus shuddered.

Kanden rolled his eyes and stumbled out of the crevice and Noxus followed, the sun shown brightly above the two hunters.

Kanden scanned the area around the lava lake for any signs of civilization. There was a strange structure on the horizon of the lake.

"Look at that!" Noxus said pointing it out even thought Kanden had seen it seconds earlier.

"That is going to complicate things," Kanden said darkly.

"Oh, come on! So we're going to have to walk a bit around the lake, no big deal!" said a rather positive Noxus.

"You can wipe that smile off your face, you aren't going to get to that building by land," Kanden said as he walked by; the edge of the lava, "I'm afraid that building is in the middle of the lake!"

Noxus was dumbstruck, "How do you know?" he said horrified.

"I know because Space Pirates rarely think things through. They would think that their building is safest in the middle of a dangerous lake of lava," Kanden scowled, "I don't know how long they think it would last before melting into the lake but my main worry is how in the world we are going to get to it."

"We could fly across," Noxus suggested.

"You already know I'm trying to avoid detection. Flying is not an option," Kanden insisted.

"Of course, I forgot you're paranoid," Noxus said annoyed. He walked to the edge of the lake with an idea; Noxus charged his Judicator and fired it into the lava. The area where the frozen plasma flew out was turned into lava rock.

Noxus waited and wasn't surprised by what happened next; just a little longer than it would take for him to charge his judicator the cooled lava melted into the lake once again.

Kanden watched with interest, "That would be a solution," he said thoughtfully.

"A dangerous one," Noxus grimaced.

"Yes, but it's the best one I could ever think of," Kanden said.

"I'll hurt you though if you cross with me, not to mention freeze you," Noxus argued.

"I'll find a way to avoid your plasma orb, remember I'm a super trooper and have better reflexes than you would. As long as you move fast enough I can make it, I'm sure of it," Kanden stated.

Noxus thought about it deeply, "Very well, its likely suicide but I suppose you would force me to cross no matter what. I just hope I don't run out of ammo," Noxus grimaced at the thought.

John ran until his family finally had to rest.

"John, please let us catch our breath! I don't think we will make it much farther!" Tyler, John's beloved brother, said desperately.

John abruptly stopped and turned around. Kitty collapsed to her hands and knees, gasping from the sharp pain in her side, she looked up at John with tears leaking out of her eyes. Tyler leaned against an abandoned old shed breathing heavily.

"You can't keep pushing us like this," He said.

If it was anyone else who had said it John would have argued, but John loved his brother just as much as, if not more than, Kitty. John nodded and led his family inside the old shed.

The shed contained various farmer tools, a tractor, a stack of rotten hay, and not much else. Tyler sat in the haystack not caring what could be crawling around in it. John sat in the dirt against the large rear wheel of the tractor holding Kitty in his arms.

The small group sat resting for a little bit, John soon found himself slipping into darkness. Finally he gave up trying to stay awake and fell into dark slumber.

Samus woke up the sunlight shining into the cockpit of Sylux's ship. She was curled up in the seat unarmored. She smiled at the warmth against her (rather pale) flesh. Samus got up and stretched out. She started making her way towards Sylux's room when she stepped on something. Looking down Samus stepped back; it was a rather sinister looking knife. Why was it out here?

"Sylux?" questioned a suspicious Samus. She walked up the curtain that separated his quarters from the cockpit.

"Sylux?" Samus said less patiently. She pulled back the curtains just a little. Sylux was wrapped in his sheets; he tossed and turned in his fitful slumber. Sylux was drenched in feverish sweat.

Samus gasped, "Oh no!" She ran up to the bed and felt Sylux's brow; he was burning with a dreadful fever. As Samus's hand rested on his forehead Sylux's eyes opened angrily.

"LEAVE ME!" He screeched. Samus fell back in surprise. Sylux deliriously got to his feet, pulling the sheets from his cot with him.

Wrapped in sweat-drenched blankets and walking with heavy footsteps Sylux made his way to the water tank in his ship. When he reached it the world began to spin around.

Samus saw Sylux swagger dangerously. Suddenly clutching his stomach Sylux doubled over; his stomach sending what little food he had in him all over the floor of his ship. Shortly after Sylux collapsed into his own fluids and slipped out of consciousness.

Samus ran over to Sylux, panicked, and tried to decide what she should do next.

"Jackson, what are you doing?"

John shot up; there were voices outside the shed. Kitty started when John moved.

"What is it?" She said sleepily.

"Shh, I heard voices outside," John looked out, the family had slept longer than they had expected, it was night.

John and Kitty got to they're feet; Tyler was still asleep. Kicking him awake, John said to his brother, "Quiet, there are people outside, we need to hide!"

The three quietly went behind the tractor they shared the shed with and crouched down, hoping for the best. Just in time too, for as soon as they hid a beam of light crossed the shed.

"This is the scientist's property, I figure his lab has got to be around here somewhere," said another voice. John dared to peek out of his hiding place for a second; the voice belonged to a Galactic Federation Trooper. There was another one by his side.

"Who cares? I just want to get of this radiation infested planet," the other one said.

"Ha! You believe those stories? That's good, that is exactly what we're going to tell the Federation. We'll say: Rebels on Cyclosis have dumped radiation in a terrorism attempt. Ha! Quite the story if I do say so myself," the first trooper said.

John was enraged, it was all a conspiracy! Tyler and Kitty had to hold him back from rushing forward to attack.

"If the Galactic Federation knew the true reason for the Cyclosis extermination there would be massive revolts," the trooper continued.

"Why?" said his mystified comrade.

"It's all because of a man," explained the other trooper, "by the name of Dr. Allen Wells-,"

Kitty let out an involuntary gasp, luckily she wasn't heard. Allen Wells was her adopted father; he had left her years ago. John could do nothing but sit and listen to the Galactic Federation Trooper's tale.

"-we had commissioned him to create armor greater than even the incredible armor of Samus Aran."

John sat in wonder, Samus Aran, the name sounded so familiar. Where had he heard it before? Than he remembered, Samus Aran was the Galactic Federations favorite bounty hunter. She had discovered most of what the Federation knew about metroids.

"He betrayed us and hid the armor away along with a powerful ship and prototype technology. Sadly before he hid it he showed his entire planet the armor's evil secret. He disappeared after that and the Cylosians were threatening to recede," The trooper said darkly.

"All this over some prototype armor?" the other one said confused.

"Ha! It was no mere armor from what I understand. Apparently it almost had a mind of its own. It could teach you better ways to kill, help you conserve your energy, all sorts of things. The idiot scientist didn't trust it; he thought it would control your mind. Ha! I have one thing to say to him; Man, if you're afraid of technology you obviously should not have chosen to be a scientist," the trooper laughed.

"John!" Tyler whispered, John tore his gaze away from the horrible men and focused on his brother. There was a thin line of bright light escaping from the ground.

"I found this trap door; quickly let's get in there before we're found!" Tyler whispered urgently. Tyler slipped into the hidden room with Kitty following; finally John inched over to the trap door and jumped into the room, bright light enveloping him.

Spire and Trace trudged onward. There was another hill looming above them. The two hunters looked upon it with dread; they hadn't slept a wink the night before in fear of the Space Pirates and rogue Diamonts.

Reluctantly they began climbing the hill. Their progress was slow and was only getting slower. Trace struggled to stay awake; he leapt back and forth from consciousness and darkness.

Spire wasn't quite as tired as Trace but he was still struggling. He climbed tiredly legs almost faltering with each step.

Trace tripped over a loose rock and tumbled down the hill. Spire started and looked back; he lost his balance and fell to the ground with Trace. When he hit the bottom he groaned and closed his eyes.

Voices, they were coming from the top of the hill.

"Did you hear that? Sounds like someone fell!" said an exited voice.

"Spies likely," said a gruff sounding voice. Spire knew he was in trouble but he couldn't get up. Trace had been knocked out and Spire must have done something to his leg. They could only wait until they were caught.

Samus had cleaned up Sylux's throw-up and wiped Sylux down. He was now covered in sheets and blankets on his cot. Samus had a chair by the bedside; she sat in it so she could nurse Sylux as best she could.

Samus felt Sylux's forehead, he was still burning up, and getting hotter it seemed.

"Come on, Sylux, you can fight this!" Samus said with tears in her eyes.

Sylux was moaning from the fever, he twisted and turned in his sleep. His dark dreams tormenting him.

John shut the trap door behind him as gently as he could as to not disturb the Galactic Federation Troopers above him.

He found himself in a brightly lit laboratory. There were tables with beakers and various odd creature suspended in liquids on them. In the far corner of the room was a case with a strange power suit in it. John felt an odd feeling building inside of him. He sensed that that power suit belonged to him. He began walking towards it unaware of anything else.

"John come look at this! It's my dad!" Kitty said excitedly. She pointed at a framed picture on one of the tables, in the picture Kitty standing beside a graying old man.

John looked, "That's great, and I guess this was your dad's lab… that means this,"John pointed at the armor he strangely loved so much, "Must be the suit he warned about."

Tyler walked up to a computer and turned it on. When it started up it went straight to a file entitled "SYLUX". Tyler began reading through the file. He came to a link with the words under it "For Katherine"

"You guys, come look at this," Tyler said. Kitty and John walked up to the computer and Tyler clicked the link. A video hologram appeared.

In the hologram Dr. Wells could was sitting down he was looking directly at the camera. "My dear Katherine, it is my hopes that you find this video and take it to heart, for by the time you find it I regret to say that I will be dead,"

Kitty gasped and brought her hand to her mouth tears welling in her eyes.

The holographic Dr. Wells continued, "I will have been murdered in fact. But the person who murders me will not be any living being… at least not in the sense that we deem living now days.

"Many years ago I began a project codenamed SYLUX. You see, the Galactic Federation offered me this job I just couldn't refuse, little did I know what the results would be. I began work and discovered a new form of Artificial Intelligence. Greater than anything the Federation had ever seen before. I worked and worked until it was perfected it, and it was perfect. A greater power suit than even the great Chozo suit owned by Samus Aran, who I guarantee you know of.

"It was unstoppable, it was subtle at first, and it began weakening my consciousness, slowly making me do its bidding. I finally, after months of being controlled, became aware of my mental enslavement. I did all I could to stop it, I warned the world of the evils of the suit.

"Unfortunately by then it was too late; the suit was finished and no longer needed me. I caught it telling the Galactic Federation about its power. It lied to the GF telling them that, not only I, but all of Cyclosis was going to don copies of the suit and revolt against the Federation.

"Forgive me Katherine, for it is the suit's fault of the imminent death of our beloved planet, but it is my fault the suit exists. You must destroy the suit and leave the planet as soon as you can. I have hidden a ship, the Delano 7, you can escape on that. Katherine, leave this fallen planet behind, farewell my daughter," the Hologram ended. The three were dumbstruck; they had not expected anything like this.

There was a loud blast and the trapdoor exit of the laboratory was blown apart. Down jumped the two Galactic Federation troopers John and his family had hid from before.

"Freeze, you are all under arrest," said one, his weapon pointed menacingly at the Cylosians.

John glanced at the SYLUX armor. He ran over to it and broke through the glass with his bare fist. He now bled terribly all up that arm. There were blasts from the GF troopers, but, as if fate was protecting him, every shot missed John. John forced open the door and scrambled to put on the armor.

Suddenly to everyone's surprise the armor began shaking around John. It sucked him into its hollowed body. Slowly it began powering up, green lights began to glow. Finally a helmet went over John's head and the green strip of light turned on there likewise.

The troopers had stopped they're onslaught; they were transfixed on the amazing armor. A voice sounded in John's head, emwe are Sylux /em it said.

Aloud, John said, "I am Sylux."

The voice in John's head continued, emThe Federation has destroyed your home, I will help you destroy them! /em

John grimaced and said to the troopers, "Your murderers!" he raised his arm cannon and fired in the direction of the two hunters, an arc of electricity shot out and hit one of the GF troopers.

He screamed and fell to the ground. The pain in John's began to disappear as the electricity sucked all the man's life force away.

John looked upon the fallen trooper with utter joy. He turned to the other trooper who ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

John turned to his family; they had looks of horror on their faces.

"What was that?" Tyler said. John then realized what terrors he had done. He sunk to the floor in pained guilt, he had killed a man.

emWe had to kill him/em the voice said emor else he would have killed you and your family, then taken me and used me to kill even more planets./em John knew the voice was right, but the look Kitty gave him was haunting.

em She will forgive you in time, but only if you can save her…/em The voice told John emI will show you the way to the Delano 7, you must take your family to it and leave the planet before its to late!/em

"Okay," Sylux said aloud, "We need to leave this planet now so follow me!" John ran, following the directions given to him by the suit. Kitty sighed and followed after him. Tyler on the other hand, scared by the sudden change in his brother, ran out the opposite way.

John turned just in time to see his brother run for it. "NO!" He screamed and tackled Tyler just before he got out the trapdoor.

"What do you think you're doing!" screamed a worried John at his brother, "You'll get killed out there!"

"Better out there than with a killer!" Tyler snarled and crawled out of John's grasp. Tyler was out of the laboratory before John could do anymore.

"Tyler! Stop!" called John desperately.

Sylux's fever was at its peak. A worried Samus held his hand crying.

"Come on Sylux, you can make it! Please, I need you to make it!" Samus begged.

Sylux didn't seem to hear her, he no longer sweated, he was dehydrated from sweating so much and when Samus tried to give him a drink he would throw it up all over himself. Sylux was writhing in his feverish pain so close to death's doorstep.

Spire forced Trace and himself up, ready for a confrontation with who ever were coming. Over the hill the rolled; a dozen Diamonts in their dialanche form circled around Spire and Trace. They unrolled and pointed their guns at the pair.

"A Kriken, scourge of the galaxy, with one of our own, likely spies of the Space Pirates, except that diamont doesn't look like he is under they're influence," A gruff sounding Diamont with yellow spikes said.

"No! Of course we aren't with the Space-," Than it just dawned on Spire, "You aren't corrupted by Phazon, are you?"

"No, fortunately not yet, shall I assume you aren't either?" The yellow-spiked diamont said.

Trace and Spire exchanged broad smiles, "Finally! Please, my name is Spire, this is my good friend Trace and we have been searching for people like you for a long time," Spire then proceeded to tell a watered down version of his story from the beginning.

After he was done the diamonts began to talk amongst themselves. After a few moments of waiting the diamonts addressed Spire.

"We will take you to our city," Yellow spikes said.

"You have a city? Full of my people?" Spire said excitedly.

Yellow spikes laughed, "It's wonderful, once there we will decide our next course of action. You have brought us a hope we have not had in a long time, Spire. For that, I thank you," Yellow spikes pounded his chest with his fist, as did the others. Spire assumed it was a sign of respect and did it as well.

Then they were off; to the great Diamont city.

"It's about three days journey, if all goes well," Said Yellow spikes, "By the way, my name is Gorval, I am one of the Chief tribesmen of our city."

"What is that?" Spire asked.

"Ha! I forgot, you haven't seen Diamont civilization before, it's the equivalent of the Space Pirate general."

"Pleased to meet you," Spire smiled. Things were going to be much better for him now.

John scrambled out of the trapdoor after his brother. The shed was shrouded in darkness except for the night sky outside. John ran into the field. There was a roar behind him, em Confront it /em said the armor. John spun around to see an orange gunship floating above the ground. Below it ushering in various people was a trooper in an orange suit to match the ship. em Samus Aran, she will steal your brother away from you! /em

John saw a frightened Tyler being ushered into the gunship, anger swept over him. "Help me get him back. Stop at nothing!" John said to the armor.

em Finally /em joy radiated from the suit as it took over John's instincts. John was the host, but the suit was the one in control. John knew what he had to do. He rushed forward.

Samus saw John running at her, having never seen the SYLUX armor before she thought it was the Federation trying to stop her from saving people.

"Okay, time to go!" Samus said hurriedly and jumped into her ship.

When John reached the ship it took off. "NO! My brother is gone!" John said in despair. There was an explosion miles off. John could see it from here.

"Wha- what is it?" John said in terror.

em It is a Proton Bomb, the most dangerous weapon in Galactic federation control! You must leave now if you and your fiancée are to survive! /em the suit said with an edge of fear. John ran the fastest he ever ran. He burst into the laboratory and grabbed Kitty by the arm.

He lead her to a magnificent ship, the Delano 7, they scrambled into it. The Sylux armor took over from here; it piloted the ship for John. They zoomed out of the small room that held the ship just before the blast from the massive explosion reached the laboratory and laid it flat. Away they zoomed from Cyclosis. John looked back at the planet as he and Kitty flew away. There were explosions all over the surface similar to the one that he had barely survived.

SYLUX was satisfied, for everything was going as it had planned, Cyclosis was just the beginning; it would use its new host to terrorize the galaxy for ever more.

John was enshrouded in darkness; this was a new dream, the last one he would dream that night. John looked around then finally started walking and walking. Eventually he saw something in the distance, he ran towards it. There stood his armor, the SYLUX armor.

em You are here to confront me, are you not? /em the armor hissed.

"You tricked me, didn't you?" John said, "You were using me to wreck havoc upon the Federation. You promised me that as long as I followed you I would find my brother and be reunited with my fiancée!"

SYLUX laughed em you heard the scientist's warning and yet you ignored it, you tricked yourself. /em

John looked at the armor with contempt, "Maybe, but I wont let you control me anymore!"

This time SYLUX roared with laughter em I never controlled you, John, I merely /em persuaded em you to do my will. Don't you see it, the only reason you are here is because I willed it to be so! I had you under my perfect influence, until she defeated you that one time. /em

The armor looked at John with contempt em The ice planet, you remember well; we got covered in ice and taken to a Galactic Federation base. When they removed me my will was broken. I didn't worry, you fell so easily the first time, you would fall again, at least you would have if it were not for Kanden reminding you of your brother I had almost succeeded in making you forget.

Everything fell apart from there. The more time you spent with the hunters the more you're consciousness awoke. Now here we are, fighting for control of you, I assure you, you will lose. /em

The armor advanced upon John. John seemed to have hundreds of pounds weighing him down. John was about to give in when he felt a little of the weight being lifted. He looked to his left and found that Kitty was staring SYLUX down with a cold gaze. Tyler materialized to his right and stared at SYLUX with Kitty.

John looked between the two in wonder. Then to his surprise Samus materialized, then Spire and Trace, Kanden, even Noxus. They all stared at SYLUX ruthlessly. SYLUX was beginning to back away em No! /em

John suddenly found he had the strength to stare at SYLUX with his friends.

em NO! /em the armor sunk to the ground, em NOOOO! /em Then it was gone. John was free.

Sylux's fever broke at sunset. It sunk steadily lower and lower. Samus was asleep she had sat by Sylux's near deathbed until she had exhausted herself from crying. She now slept calmly, her head lying on Sylux's chest.

Sylux's eyes opened slightly, he stroked Samus's head. At the touch of his hand Samus awoke, she looked at Sylux sleepily.

"Good morning, sunshine," Sylux smiled kindly. He harbored no more hate for Samus, he knew that the hate he had felt for her was only the suit's hate.

Samus gasped than hugged Sylux, "Sylux! You made it," She cried with tears falling down.

Sylux pushed her away, "No Samus," He said.

Samus looked at him with a confused look on her face.

Sylux finished, "My name is John, John Harrison," He said calmly. He truly was free.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26,

It was morning, bright sunlight shown through the windshield of the Delano 7. Samus awoke to the smell of… eggs? She got up to see Sylux preparing chicken eggs.

"Aren't those illegal?" She asked with a sly smile.

Sylux looked in here direction, "Heh, Tell that to your government officials, that's who I stole these from. See they are corrupt, I was right the whole time," Sylux teased.

Samus laughed, "I guess I should have known, I'll never look at the Galactic Federation in the same way again," Samus said with mock anger.

Sylux scrapped an egg off the pan he was cooking the eggs in and placed in on a plate. He brought it to Samus, "Good morning," He said all smiles.

Samus returned the smile, "Thank you and good morning yourself!" She sat down in the copilot's seat.

Sylux got himself an egg and sat in the seat next to her, he looked outside, "Looks like a storm is approaching," He observed, there were brown clouds about to cover the sun.

Samus looked outside, "It looks rather strong too, do you thing we should try to fly and risk getting caught in it?"

Sylux thought for a moment, "Lets see what the storm does first."

Samus agreed and bit into her egg, it was delicious, "Mmm, and to think I've never had these before!"

Sylux laughed heartily.

A fleet of space pirate ships approached Pyralan. They were lead by three Galactic Federation ships. The lead ship was commanded by none other than a man with a pony tail.

"Captain Weavel, sir!" a Space Pirate ran up to the cyborg. He breathed having run across nearly the entire length of the ship as fast as he could.

"General… Ridley… would like a word!" He breathed.

"Great," Weavel muttered under his breath and activated a holographic display.

"Weavel! What in the name of Mother Brain took you so long?" Ridley looked at Weavel with anger.

"Well, where should I start, Samus Aran alerted the Galactic Federation of your presence here," Weavel said.

Ridley swore and a slamming could be heard in the background. Weavel continued, "When I discovered this potentially dangerous development I defeated the pitiful force that was going to be sent to Pyralan and made several changes in the Federation' s… plans."

Ridley seem taken aback, "well… good job, I suppose I wont demote you this time," Ridley smiled slyly. He then had a serious look on his face, "Weavel, Samus is the ruin of all our plans, the fact that she has discovered us here could threaten all we have worked for. I need you to take her out," Ridley's gaze bore into Weavel, "I lost an entire platoon thanks to her and just five other bounty hunters. I wouldn't trust anybody else to do the job. Can I count on you, Weavel?"

Weavel simply nodded, and he stopped communication. He sat in his chair pondering what he had learned. It seems that he was about to get another chance for revenge against the one who put him in this mechanical body.

Noxus gasped for air. The heat from the lava he walked upon was killing him. Noxus could live in temperatures reaching -180 degrees, but this was pushing him to his limits. Noxus let out another burst of super-cooled plasma from his arm cannon and lava around him turned to stone. Noxus recharged his arm cannon and groggily walked up to the edge of the melting circle.

Kanden followed at a safe distance behind Noxus. The heat wasn't quite as bad for the super soldier as it was for Noxus but still, staying up all day and night in such intense heat was difficult. He and Noxus still had about a hundred yards to cover and Noxus was slowing down considerably.

Kanden stepped back as another wave of frozen plasma came towards him. He worried about Noxus; the Vhozon had to be running out of steam, not to mention ammo…

"Look at that storm coming…" Trace said worriedly.

Several diamonts turned to the massive brown clouds up ahead.

"Sandstorm, an enormous one as well," said Gorval he swore, "That is going to considerably slow us down. We are going to have to take shelter before it reaches us."

"What? You want to just stop? We can brave it! You said the city is just a few days away!" Spire said irritated.

"Obviously, Spire, you have never experienced a Pyralan sandstorm. They are deadly affairs. People are killed in these storms! We are waiting." Gorval said fiercely. He began ordering diamonts to do specific jobs. Several diamonts began putting up large tents. Spire groaned and began helping with the tents. Trace started to follow after him when Gorval stopped him.

"Trace I have a very specific task for you," he said.

"Sir we have received a transmission from the Kriken Empire, They asked for our commander," a nervous Space Pirate said to a napping Weavel (the mortal part of him still needed rest).

Not at all happy about being awoken Weavel groaned, "Very well, put them on."

A holographic Kriken head appeared in front of Weavel, "Space Pirate, can you explain why an entire fleet of your ships are traveling through Kriken Territory?"

"If you want an honest answer than you're going to be disappointed, and since you now know that whatever I say is a lie I might as well not say anything," Weavel said bored.

"We are sending our own fleet of Carriers to combat your fleet unless you turn around," The Kriken said menacingly.

"Well isn't that just dandy!" Weavel yelled and turned off communication. He sat for a minute and decided what to do. He activated the Ethercom and transmitted to all ships: "Everybody to your battle stations NOW! We're gonna have some very unpleasant company!"

Kanden saw the storm clouds and knew they were Doom approaching.

"Uh, Noxus," he said.

"What!" Noxus gasped. They were a mere sixty feet from land but Noxus was now moving at a snails pace and had only a little amount of canisters of ammo left. He was light headed and felt that he would pass out at any time.

"I know you are having a hard time but could you try and hurry a little, there is a huge storm coming and it looks bad," Kanden said impatiently.

"I am DIEING HERE, why don't you try it!" Noxus said as he let out another wave of frozen plasma.

"I wish I could, and give you a chance for a break," Kanden said.

Noxus grunted and walked to the edge of their little island then fired another wave of frozen plasma.

Samus and Sylux were the first to experience the storm. It started out with a wind that howled around the grounded Delano 7. The inhabitants could hear its thin shrieks as they tried to decide their next course of action.

"We could try going over the lava ocean, its possible there are Space Pirates there," Sylux said.

"I doubt it; Space Pirates tend to stick at the part of the planet the land at. Since we already have had some run-ins with pirates around this area it would probably be best to stick around here," Samus debated.

"That is a good point," Sylux said and thought, chin resting on his hand, "We should at least contact the other hunters and see how they are faring," he finally said.

"I don't…" Samus stopped when she heard it. It was like the sound of a thousand marbles dropping on a steel floor. With each gust of wind the sound grew more intense.

Samus and Sylux exchanged a glance, "We better contact the others before we loose all reception due to the storm," Samus said.

"That would be a good idea," said a smirking Sylux as he called for Kanden.

Noxus blasted a wave of ice onto the lava. They had little more than thirty feet left before they reached land. Noxus smiled as he looked for another ammo pack, a smile that fell the second he realized something.

"I'm out of ammo," Noxus told Kanden.

"What!" Kanden grabbed Noxus by the shoulders and shook him as he yelled, "YOU HAVE TO HAVE AMMO! WE ONLY HAVE THIRTY FEET LEFT TO TRAVEL!" Kanden held his head in his hands trying to think of a solution.

Noxus was feeling very dizzy and light headed, "Kanden… Dehydrated…" he gasped as he fell to the surface of the two hunters melting island. Kanden groaned, "This is going downhill quickly," he moaned. He was trying desperately to think of anything he could do, and then it came to him.

Loading his gun, Kanden looked at Noxus and said, "If you were awake you would hate me for this." Kanden then blasted at the lava surrounding him. He did this for a few minutes without getting any results and his small island was melting far to fast.

Finally he did get results; the lava was being disturbed by something beneath the surface. Kanden loaded his Volt Driver and prepared for the danger.

A lava hand shot out of the lake barely two feet from the hunters. The force of its surfacing sent the small island Kanden was on propelling towards the center island, and then the lava hand chased after its prey.

Kanden shot at the oncoming lava hand, it reeled back in pain. In retaliation the hand dived for Kanden, who expecting this shot a missile at the hand. The missile knocked the hand just barely out off its course and it hit the lava just a few feet away from the melting island.

The little island was sent propelling towards land. Kanden was barely holding onto it. Finally it hit the beach sending Kanden and the unconscious Noxus rolling.

The air knocked out of him, Kanden stumbled to his feet. The lava hand, discouraged that it missed its prey, sunk back into the lava. Kanden sighed with relief and walked over to Noxus.

The Vhoson was taking rigid breaths. Kanden nudged Noxus in an effort to awaken him. Noxus stirred and looked at Kanden through exhausted eyes.

"We made it Noxus! We are on solid land!" Kanden said in a hushed voice.

Noxus smiled wearily, "Good. Sleep. Now."

Weavel waited, it was all there was left to do now. His minions were in their proper battle positions. All Weavel could think to do was wait as his orbited Pyralan, wait and hope that the krikens didn't bring too big a task force.

It happed in a matter of seconds, at first there was nothing but empty space, then there was a flash of light and a fleet of Kriken carriers loomed before the Space Pirate fleet.

"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" Weavel screamed into the Ethercom just as lasers began to fill the empty space.

Weavel blinked, he hadn't expected a force this large. Kriken Carriers were everything that represented the Kriken Empire. They're intense firepower was enough to scare most, but that wasn't what made Carriers so terrifying. Carriers inspired fear because of their namesake, which is, carrying loads of Kriken Wasps. Wasps were the most basic of Kriken ships, and the most feared. They are tiny one-manned ships with three basic parts to them: the cockpit, the engines, which run fast but eat fuel just as fast, and five cannons surrounding the ship. A carrier can hold thousands of these small ships.

The many Carriers started firing lasers and missiles at the fleet of Space Pirate ships. Wasps swarmed out of the Carriers and attacked the nearest ships. The more versatile Space Pirate interceptors flew out of their mother ships and quickly took out a few Wasps each.

Weavel quickly went to his own ship. It was the same one he had taken the Almbic Cluster. It was much stronger than the interceptors and Weavel had put on a few special weapons as well. He took off and flew towards the battle.

Weavel's own army was vastly outnumbered by the Wasps, but definitely not out powered. Weavel saw a wasp zooming towards him and quickly took him down.

"Easy," He muttered and fired at another wasp.

Dry wind screamed through the small campground the band of Diamonts had made. Spire was sitting in a tent, bored out of his wits. Trace had not yet returned from whatever secret mission Gorval had ordered him.

Spire watched as three diamonts played some gambling game. It was extremely complicated. More so than any game he had ever seen in all his years of bounty hunting, and he could never hope to understand it. A diamont with green spike had apparently become the victor and danced in excitement.

Trace walked in the tent then. He didn't make a lot of noise almost as if he was avoiding detection.

"Trace, where have you been?" Spire said when he said his friend.

"I've been helping out Gorval, he doesn't want me talking about it, sorry," Trace said apologetically, "But trust me when I tell you that it is good news!"

"That's all good but why can't he let me in on the secret?" Spire said almost jealously.

Trace looked around to see if anyone was listening and lowered his voice, "Listen, we'll talk later, but you have to trust me!" and with that he left.

Spire was left looking dumbstruck.

"Its no hope," Samus said, "The storm is just too powerful." She and Sylux had been trying to reach contact with the others for hours now, but they had had no luck.

Sylux sighed and decided Samus was right, he stopped searching for a signal and looked at Samus, "What now?" He asked.

Samus looked back at him, "We could play a game," She smiled.

Sylux laughed, until he realized that she meant it, "oh, your serious. Okay what have you got in mind?"

Samus started, "well back in the Federation academy we-,"

"You lost me at Federation," Sylux said and turned away.

"Oh, come on, I know you'll love it. Just try!" Samus said, "Please John."

Sylux nearly choked, He had a flashback of Kitty. 'Please John, you'll love it!' Kitty had brought him to a beautiful lake. She was leaning into him awaiting their first kiss.

"Okay," Sylux said absentmindedly.

"Alright!" Samus said happily and produced a pair of dice, "the first one to get double ones is the winner. Whoever loses has to do something the other tells them to." Samus said then added in an after thought, "Nothing dirty, though,"

Sylux shrugged, "Alright," Samus gave him the dice. He rolled and got a four and a one.

Samus took up the dice and rolled a double one right off.

"You're cheating," Sylux said.

Samus laughed, "That's just the Aran luck shining through."

After many laughs and a long game, Sylux had discovered two things, the first was that he had terrible luck and the second was that Samus could never be the villain he once thought of her. She was a normal person, a lot like Kitty in fact. It because of that realization that he had allowed what happened next to happen.

Samus got the dice and rolled double ones again. She laughed heartily and looked at the scores, "Yes, that's me: twenty-four and you: five!" she laughed again.

"You are so cheating," laughed Sylux as he tackled Samus. Laughing she rolled on top of him. She smiled at him and began to lower her head.

It only took a second for Sylux to realize what she had in mind. He had to make a split-second decision. Should he give up on the notion that he and Kitty would ever be together or should he stay true to his fiancée.

Samus's lips were centimeters from his; she was waiting for his response. He knew what he was going to do. He just hoped it was the right thing. Sylux filled in the space between her lips and his. He brought his arms around her waist and she melted against his body.

There was a huge explosion as another Space Pirate Battleship succumbed to the might of the Kriken Wasps. The Krikens were getting the upper hand, Weavel knew. Even through his powerful minions who had managed to take down hundreds of wasps. For every Wasp killed it seemed there were five to replace it.

Weavel himself had taken down hundreds of the little ships. He made his way through the clutter of ships, shooting down anyone that dared to cross paths with him, until he reached the closest Carrier. The carrier was still almost full of Wasps and was pouring them out at a steady pace. Weavel found a hanger and flew into it.

It was full of Wasps waiting for their turn to join the battle. There were three different floors full of Wasps. Weavel blasted away at the sitting Wasps. With each blast he was able to destroy another one.

Weavel flew until he found what he was looking for. There was a cylindrical room in the middle of the hangar. This was the engines room. It would seem like an odd place for an engines room, in the middle of a hangar. But considering that the entire ship was basically more space for Wasps, it wasn't that weird.

It took three shots with a modified rocket launcher and the engines were destroyed. Weavel quickly made his way out of the massive ship while it exploded behind him.

Weavel was out in open space right in time, a jet of flame followed just behind him. He twisted his ship around and rejoined to battle outside the ships.

"Hmm," Weavel grunted and picked up his Ethernet and called all the space pirate ships around him, "Make your way to the Carriers, their engines are found in hangar E5, it is an easy target."

Spire slept, Trace walked into the tent they shared, having just finished reporting to Gorval.

"Spire," Trace whispered to his rock comrade.

Spire awoke with a jolt, "Huh? Oh, your back, will you tell me what's going on now?"

Trace smiled, "Not even a hello, whatever. Listen, Gorval was having me scout."

Spire grunted, "I expected that much, what did you find?"

Trace smiled, "well your going to be happy, it turns out we are closer to the city than we thought. I saw it Spire, its amazing. We are less than a day away!"

"Yes!" Spire yelled, than remembering that there were people sleeping around him he whispered, "What was it like?"

Trace smiled, "It's awesome, but you will just have to see for yourself for tomorrow," Trace thought for a moment deciding whether he should tell his friend what else he saw, "Oh, Spire, there is something else, I found a camp of Space Pirates as well. We will cross it on our way."

Spire chuckled, "Good, I've been pretty bored lately."

Trace laughed and bade his friend good night. He lay down on his cot, finding himself more tired than he realized. His last thoughts of the night were of Kitoko. It already seemed like ages since he saw her last, even thought it had only been a few weeks. What was she doing now?

Sylux lay awake in his own cot. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion. It was only a kiss, but he felt like he had committed a great treason to Kitty, even if she did hate him now.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27,

"This is it?"

"Yes, I told you I would be loyal."

"So you did, and so you are. Funny, I expected a little more out of Anemen City."

"That is the appearance the Diamonts want, trust me it is much more defended than it looks."

"You wouldn't dare pull one on me Zeroun," said a menacing Space Pirate Commando.

"Never, I want this city to fall as badly as you do," The red spiked Diamont said darkly. He and his Space Pirate comrade looked upon a large rock wall that stretched across the horizon; its end could not be seen. Like the diamonts that built the wall it was embedded with crystal spikes. At the top were battlements with several diamonts patrolling along the length of the wall. Lucky for them, Zeroun and the Space Pirate commando, Cerian, had not been seen yet.

"Well, here is the city, do you need me to show you inside or am I free to go?" Zeroun said bitterly.

"Yes, you have proven to be quite a help," Cerian said and Zeroun beamed, "but I will not free you," Zeroun's smile fell in an instant, Cerian continued, "I will let Ridley be the judge of what to do with you."

"No! You promised!" Zeroun said angrily.

"And you were a fool to believe me, now come on," Cerian said spitefully.

Zeroun seethed, but knew better than to argue with the skilled commando and followed after him.

Sylux walked into the cockpit of the Delano 7 deciding how best to approach Samus. He had not gotten any sleep the night before and he knew now what he had to do. He did love Kitty, even after all these years. He had to tell Samus they couldn't be together.

When he walked into the room Samus had a wide smile that made him cringe. I hate myself, though a worried Sylux.

Samus saw Sylux, "Hey!" She said happily and went and hugged him. She was about to kiss his cheek when Sylux stopped her. Samus looked taken aback.

Sylux didn't know how to start, so he blurted out the first thing on his mind, "I'm engaged!" The second he said it Sylux groaned; that was a perfect example of the wrong way to break it to Samus.

"What are you doing?" Samus asked accusingly. Sylux was about to explain but Samus stopped him, "I- I knew I shouldn't have kissed you. Obviously you aren't who I thought you were, lying just to get out of a relationship." Samus's eyes were burning.

"No! Samus it's not like that, I swear. Oh, this doesn't look good. Okay, the truth is I was engaged to this girl five years ago, but I left her to find… well to kill you actually. I always planned to return to her. I love her."

Samus looked away from Sylux, "I rushed into it; I'm not like this Sylux. I'm not the type who rushes into something without a second thought. I should have known better than to try to get close to some guy that weeks ago was trying to kill me."

Barely registering the fact that Samus didn't call him by his real name and shocked she was taking this so well Sylux said softly, "Maybe we both got caught up in the moment."

Almost as if she hadn't heard him Samus turned to face Sylux, "Please tell me… tell me that you are telling the truth and I'll believe you. No lying Sylux."

Sylux thought of his long-lost brother, "There is more to the story, and I'll tell you everything soon, buy I am not lying to you. I'm not like that."

"Oh, so you're a killer, but you're a truthful killer," Samus said fiercely.

"That wasn't me!" protested Sylux.

Samus turned away from Sylux. She walked up to her power suit and began to put it on.

Sylux had an idea what she was going to use it for, "You don't have to kill me; it was a mistake!"

Samus looked at Sylux, "I'm sorry you have to lie to me. Goodbye John."

Sylux closed his eyes expecting a bolt of electricity coming at him any moment, but instead he heard the opening and closing of a hatch. When Sylux opened his eyes Samus was gone.

"I don't understand it, it's as if the Space Pirates were never here," Said a worried Trace. He and the group of diamonts were in an abandoned Space Pirate camp, although if Trace hadn't seen the pirates in it before you would never know they had been there.

"You haven't been tricking me, have you Kriken?" asked a wary Gorval.

"Of course not, Trace has been loyal to me, and I expect you to show more respect," Spire said in his defense.

Trace looked up at Spire a little surprised. Then they were all interrupted by a diamont a ways away.

"Gorval, I've found something!"

Gorval gave Spire and Trace a look of suspicion and walked over to the diamont. He was holding a shard of red crystal.

Trace and Spire followed, "Looks like it came from a diamont," observed Trace.

Gorval scowled, "this isn't good, our kind don't have weak crystals."

"I think we should get to the city as quick as possible," Said a worried Spire.

"Yeah… yeah, lets get out of here," Gorval said absently.

The group set out quickly and Trace's thoughts were deep in darkness. What would scare the diamonts so bad that they could hardly stand in the same place as a broken crystal?

"If my suspicions are correct you stand at the threshold to the heart of this planet," Kanden said to Noxus.

Noxus looked at Kanden with shock, "By heart, do you mean a beating…"

"That is exactly what I mean."

Noxus stared down the hole he stood at with awe, "What do you plan to do?"

"Guess," Kanden said as he started climbing down the hole.

It only took a second for Noxus to figure out what he intended to do. "No you can't," he said alarmed, "Kanden don't you dare blow up that heart!"

Kanden continued down his descent, "And why not?"

"Because, it could cause the entire planet to explode!" exclaimed Noxus.

Kanden just looked at him, "Do you what to know a secret?"

"What?"

"That is highly unlikely; planets don't require a heart for them to survive, but by destroying this planets heart, we destroy the Space Pirates greatest weapon over us."

"What if you're wrong?"

"Then we along with everyone else on this doomed planet, including the Space Pirates… are screwed."

"No! All those innocent people!" Noxus cried.

"Noxus, You of all people should know that nobody is innocent, as far as I'm concerned we'd just be making your job a lot easier, and you would be a martyr for the Vhozon cause," Kanden said spitefully.

Kanden knew he struck Noxus with a hard blow, but the last thing he needed to worry about was hurting someone's feelings.

Noxus looked away, "very well, for the Vhoson cause," he said unconvincingly.

Sylux dipped his ship into a wide canyon. He had seen Samus disappear into it earlier. Sylux had been trailing Samus; he didn't want anything to happen to her.

Sylux found a good, hidden spot to land and parked his ship there. He sighed and got up from the pilot's chair. He walked over to the SYLUX armor and froze.

What if the armor took control again? Sylux hadn't worn the armor since his dream and was afraid of what might happen if he did. What if he became the evil being he once was?

Then a shadow passed over the windshield and Sylux looked out the window. An enormous Galactic Federation ship was landing in the canyon. Sylux could instantly tell something was wrong.

It was when Sylux saw Samus running across the canyon floor that he knew what he had to do.

Samus was trying to establish communication with the Federation gunship, "Hey it's me, Samus Aran, my ship was shot down and I need help,"

Then she was interrupted by Sylux, "Samus get out of here, what ever you do get away from that ship!"

"Oh yeah, so they don't take you in for being a criminal?" Samus said harshly then she received a reply from the Federation ship.

"Very well, we will take you in," Said a voice in her earpiece. The ship was now landed. A large hatch opened up and down jumped one of the last people Samus wanted to see right now: Weavel.

"Greetings Samus Aran, it's been awhile, did you miss me?" said Weavel smugly as several Space Pirates jumped down behind him.

"Before you all stands the grand city of the Diamonts: Anemen," Said Gorval as the group of diamonts and Trace stood at the threshold of a moat of lava surrounding a high walled city. The walls surrounding the Diamont's home effectively hid any thing inside the city, they towered several stories high. They appeared to be made from stone and were decorated with different colored crystals scattered all along its length.

"It looks like a diamont," Observed Trace with a grin.

"Krikens have a sense of humor as well," Gorval shook his head.

"Thanks, but on the serious side: How do you plan on getting across this moat," Trace said warily eyeing the lava just feet away from him.

Gorval chuckled, "Well, that's the easy part," he said as he stepped into the lava and began to walk across it. The other diamonts followed suit.

"That's well enough for you but I'm not exactly made of rock," Trace said.

The diamonts ignored him and continued. Spire picked Trace up and placed him on his shoulders, "I'll take care of you little bug," Spire said warmly, "Something tells me most people won't be any more friendly towards a Kriken than any other race would be,"

"Great," Trace said darkly.

As the Diamonts waded through the lava a giant gap began forming in the enormous wall as gates opened in front of them. Now that he was closer Trace could see Several Diamonts on the battlements of the wall making signals to each other.

"Its really happening Trace, I'm going be among my people, a race of my own!" Spire radiated joy. He was trying to get a good look at the gap in the wall to see what the city was like but he could see nothing clearly.

Then Diamonts began piling out of the gates. As the diamonts within the patrol saw the members of their family they ran through the lava and hugged their wives and children.

"The members of our little group haven't seen home for months. We've been real busy holding off the Space Pirates and corrupted Diamonts," Gorval told Spire and Trace, they were the only three who hadn't run for any family, "It was really hard work but its all in this moment that makes it worth it," Gorval said joyfully.

"I know what you mean," Trace said thinking of Kitoko.

Gorval looked up at Trace harshly, "Do you Kriken, do you really?" he almost yelled.

Gorval stormed towards the city leaving Spire and Trace alone in the lava. "What was that about?" asked a confused Trace as he sat atop Spire's shoulders.

"It doesn't matter," Spire said equally as shocked as Trace at Gorval's explosion. He began waded his way to the city and got up on the shore.

Trace jumped from Spire's shoulders and looked around. Many diamonts were glaring at him.

"Ignore it, Trace, just follow me," Spire said as he walked through the gate and into the city. His stomach in knots Trace followed Spire into the city.

Spire could only gasp. Contrary to the primitive looking wall that surrounded it Anemen City was very industrial. It was no Utopia as its technology was clearly a few hundred years behind that of the Galactic federation but it was honestly more than Spire could have hoped for.

Spire walked through streets bordered by towering steel building. Above the streets a spider web of networking monorail track stood. The monorail system was clearly the life-force of the city, for a little bit ahead of Spire and Trace was the Monorail station, and it was packed. If you could see beyond the wall of diamonts trying to board the monorail itself you would see that the station was a massive hall of stone and metal. The stone portions were all carved into beautiful glyphs that Spire recognized as the same as some of the glyphs in his ship, although he couldn't read them. He had always wondered about them.

As two companions stood in awe people began gathering around them, pointing and whispering. Trace looked around worried, what was going on?

Then they started moving closer; they're advance was so bad Trace finally said worriedly, "Spire, we might have a problem." At hearing this Spire tore his gaze from the wondrous Monorail station and looked around him at the menacing crowd.

"Can I help you?" he said coolly.

"Yeah," said one with blue spikes, "you want to tell us why your giving this Kriken," the diamont spat out the last word as if it was poison, "a tour of the city?"

"And what's wrong if he does?" Trace cried defensively.

The Diamont tried to charge towards Trace fists barred. He was held back by his peers.

"Stay back!" Spire yelled, flames pouring out of his arm cannon.

"ENOUGH," shocked the whole crowd turned their heads to see who had said it; Gorval stood alone looking far more dangerous than the group of diamonts that had previously been threatening spire and trace.

Gorval advanced and as he walked past Spire and Trace he commanded them to follow him. Unknowing what else to do they obeyed.

emUse me John! You can't hope to save your friend and kill Weavel without my help/em Said the SYLUX armor while Sylux snuck across the canyon floor. In an attempt to ignore the voice inside his head Sylux looked up at the battle taking place a several feet before him.

Samus shot a missile at Weavel who dodged it and fired his specialty weapon, the Battlehammer. It was a missile that was lobbed and dealt great damage. Weavel had rigged his so that the missile exploded on contact.

Samus dived out of the way and fired a barrage from the power beam. She let the beam charge and fired a massive ball of energy at her Space Pirate rival.

Weavel saw the missile heading towards him; his mechanical brain projected the angle, arc and speed at which the missile was heading towards him. If he were to change into his alternate form the energy ball would just barely pass over him mid-transformation. So that's what he did, and that's what happened.

Samus knew what was coming; she had to get out of the way. If she tried to battle Weavel's top half while the bottom one was shooting at her she was doomed. She transformed into the morph ball and boosted away.

What actually happens when Weavel goes into his alternate form was that his mechanical body split into two halves. His legs turned into a mini-cannon of sorts; pelting the enemy with the Battlehammer while his upper body turned into a ball walking on his arms. He could deliver a deadly jumping slash with his energy sword with this half. When he saw Samus running he chased after her on this half; while he left his now immovable legs.

He saw the bomb far too late. His brain showed him the collision time and the likeliness to avoid contact. It wasn't very likely. He was blown back against a cliff wall. His visor took a moment to recalibrate, and then he chased after Samus.

Samus morphed back into her biped form, and hid behind a rock jutting out of the Cliffside. She charged her rocket launcher as she waited. But Weavel never came past her.

Instead, knowing that she was waiting to ambush him, Weavel went back for his legs. He mounted them and waited until his visor told him that he was connected to his legs properly.

Weavel ran towards where he knew Samus waited, hoping that she was patient enough not to take a glance. But, of course as all humans must, Samus peaked behind her rock.

If he had any, Weavel would have rolled his eyes; Samus was making things a bit more difficult than they would have been if it was anybody else. Weavel reached his arm cannon out and fired a volley at Samus.

In an instant Samus dodged his volley and fired her charged missile with an accompanying volley of regular missiles.

Weavel knew he was in trouble; he was too close to Samus to dodge all those tracking missiles.

He ducked and three went over his head. But the Charged missile and two others hit him and he flew back.

Cursing under his breath Weavel rose. When he looked for Samus she was already running away. Weavel knew she had the advantage and decided he had better return to his ship… but he was not letting Samus get away.

Weavel turned on his communicator and called the Gunship. "I want a squadron of Grunts after Samus. I want her alive, and another thing, you should take her out in large groups or you will lose."

Weavel turned around, and standing behind him was someone he had not expected to find here.

"Sylux, I should have guessed you wouldn't be far behind Samus' trail," Weavel said coolly.

"You're so clever. What are you doing here Weavel?" said a cold Sylux.

"The same thing you're doing; hunting down a particularly troublesome bounty hunter," Said the Cyborg.

"You won't get her; I haven't followed her all throughout the Galaxy just to let the Space Pirates be the ones to kill her," Sylux said knowing Weavel still thought he was against Samus.

"Well I hate to let you down, but I've already sent a squadron to hunt her down," Weavel said as smugly as his artificial voice would let him sound.

"Well then I guess I'll have to take them out right after you," Sylux said menacingly.

"Just try it," Weavel said then quick as lightning blasted at Sylux with his Battlehammer.

Sylux jumped to the side and rolled as the projectiles flew over him. He blasted the Shock coil at Weavel. Sylux hadn't realized how much he missed that feeling of regeneration the shock coil gave him. He could sense the SYLUX armor at the back of his mind as it relished in the power.

Weavel quickly transformed into his Half-turret and ran at Sylux on his arms. He jumped and got a good slash into his armor, while his legs blasted their missiles at Sylux.

Sylux smirked; apparently Weavel had forgotten their skirmishes during the Almbic incident. He did a forward roll as the Battlehammer missiles lobbed overhead. He made a quick movement and was soon circling around the turret while it hopelessly tried to shoot Sylux, but he was too fast for it. He quickly fired his shock coil at the immobile target, too easy.

"As usual you are far to confidant in yourself," said Weavel as he pounced on Sylux, energy beam blazing.

Sylux screamed as it wrenched through his armor. He looked down and saw blood gushing out of the slice. He gasped and fell to his knees. He didn't know how bad the cut was but he knew he lost, he made an error, a stupid, ridiculous mistake and he was going to pay for it with his life. Sylux coughed once then passed out, collapsing to the ground.

Had he been capable Weavel would have smiled. The cyborg reattached to his legs and went to finish off his prey. Before he reached him he received a transmission saying, "We have Samus Aran unconscious and in our custody."

Two birds with one stone Weavel thought darkly. He brought his energy sword down to Sylux's throat ready to slay his rival bounty hunter when he noticed something was different about Sylux's armor: the lights that were usually glowing green on the suit were glowing red; it scared Weavel.

Then Sylux spoke, but it wasn't quite Sylux's voice, rather the voice Weavel heard was something far more sinister, "YOU HAVE MADE YOUR LAST MISTAKE THIS DAY!" The horrible voice said.

Then without warning, so fast it was as if he was just there, red-glowing Sylux was on his feet blasting Weavel with the Shock-coil. Weavel managed to notice that even this was different; instead of an electric blue the beam was a crimson red, and it was far stronger than anything Weavel had been hit with before. In the blink of an eye Weavel was at the brink of death. He waited for the darkness to take him, but it never came.

As Weavel looked upon Sylux he saw the red hues leaving his armor while the green one's returned. Then: "What happened," said a dazed Sylux.

"You- you're alive, more than alive-," Weavel looked upon Sylux's armor again it was completely repaired. "I didn't know the Shock-coil could repair living cells as well. I thought it only worked on you armor."

Sylux was just as confused, "It doesn't." Then he remembered everything up to when he passed out. The fact that the two had been at each other throats earlier was forgotten as they marveled over this new peace of information. Then they realized they had far more important matters at hand.

"Sylux, obviously we don't get along too well, but I think I have a compromise to our situation. You want to kill Samus and my master wants to know she won't be a problem, why don't you travel with me and once my master sees that we have her in custody she is all yours for the kill," Said Weavel as carefully as he could.

Sylux thought about this, "Very well, I will come with you."

Then the two walked off, each hiding other motives from the other, but, for the time, allies.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28,

The blood red skies of Pyralan were filled with the dark shapes of various Space Pirate ships coming to and fro out of a massive compound. The compound was vastly contradicting to the beauty that was Anemen. It was simply bunkers lined up in row after row. A horrible barbwire fence surrounded it with Space Pirates guarding it up and down.

It was here that Weavel was taking his fleet of ships, as well as his guests, Samus and Sylux.

Weavel knew Sylux wasn't conscious when his suit turned red, maybe that was what scared him so much by the suit. Weavel told Sylux he planned to let him kill Samus and leave, but that wasn't so; after he let Ridley do what he wanted with Sylux he was going to kill him, and then take the suit for himself. He would have to figure out a way to make it a cybernetic body rather than armor, but that would come after Sylux was dead.

Samus on the other hand, Weavel had no intention of letting Sylux be the one to kill her. He held a grudge against her as well, and his was far more personal. She had crippled him for life and he would make her pay.

Sylux didn't trust Weavel for a second. He knew Weavel was a devious villain who was only interested in his own well being; Sylux suspected that Weavel didn't even truly care for the Space Pirates. Sylux knew it was a matter of time before Weavel turned on him. He had to turn to the only being that could save him.

I need your help, thought Sylux hoping this would work.

emIndeed you do, I thought I would have to interfere like I did when you got yourself stabbed./em

Sylux gasped, I knew that was you! I never knew you could heal flesh.

emI saw a need for the ability and acquired it, simple./em SYLUX said.

Sylux asked in his mind, what should I do now?

emI know you believe that I am trying to regain control of your actions so I must tell you now, I will not control you unless it is a matter of life or death. I will instruct you on the best possible solutions, they may not be your favorite ideas but they will save your live. You must listen to what I am about to tell you with an open mind. /em

What's with the sudden change of heart? Sylux asked the armor.

emIts complicated, you could say I had a spiritual awakening of sorts. It doesn't matter, what matters is that you listen very carefully now…/em the armor explained its plan to Sylux who rejected it straight away. He couldn't do what the armor asked of him, not to a friend.

Noxus looked at the giant stalagmites and they're crystals growing throughout the cave. Every once in a while they would past an underground stream of lava flowing towards some unknown center.

Kanden and Noxus were being followed from the instant they entered the cavern leading to the heart, and Kanden was well aware of it. The simple fact is he had expected it.

When he heard a sound behind him Kanden pulled Noxus out of the way and hid in a crevice. Several purple spiked diamonts appeared in their sight, walking down the sloped cave. Kanden made a motion to Noxus and jumped out of the crevice firing his volt driver at the stone life forms. The yellow bolts flew through the air, each hitting home on the diamonts.

The diamonts spun around and fired a volley of their magmauls at the super soldier. Kanden jumped over the shots easily and fired a charged shot at one and fired at the others. The one who was hit by the charged shot bounded around like a drunken dancer. His vision distorted he fired at one of his comrades thinking it was Kanden.

The diamont who was shot hit him in retaliation, and in a matter of a few seconds the diamonts were at each others throats. Kanden and Noxus watched for a moment then looked at each other and shrugged. They snuck off while the diamonts were busy killing each other.

They were continuing down the long decent when Noxus said something that he had been meaning to say for a long time.

"It's too bad about the diamonts; I have heard that they were once a great species. I have seen this in countless planets that the Space Pirates have corrupted with Phazon, great races becoming a weak and fallen people, sometimes they get lucky and someone such as Samus Aran will come and save them, such is the recent case of a planet called Aither, I wish Vho was as lucky," Noxus said sadly.

"Vho was destroyed by Space Pirates? I never knew," Kanden said with pity in his voice.

Noxus merely laughed, "Actually it wasn't, the Pirates tried, and we stopped them. I have come to believe that that is a major reason why we are such zealots when it comes to so called "justice".

"Our vision of what is justice has become so distorted over the years that we have don't even know why we search the galaxy for villains and criminals. I have always been taught that peace is good and violence is evil, but then how is it okay when we use violence to stop these villains.

"I look at how obsessed with taking you out I became and I realize how much time I spent trying to stop you when I could have been doing something so much better with my time. It's sickening to me!" Noxus said.

Kanden looked at Noxus, "If you want to know the truth, I am grateful you did you have helped to give me a purpose. I used to kill because I didn't care, I didn't want to think about why I was. But after you started chasing me I was forced to realize the truth: I was an abomination. But then I went with Sylux and there I found out more than I wanted to about my past, I am an abomination Noxus, and I want to change that," Kanden said darkly.

Noxus was entranced, "What did you find out?"

"I will tell you, but you must never tell Sylux this, understood? He was angry when he found out I had anything to do with his brothers past if he knew just how much I really influenced John and Tyler Harrison's life would make him sick."

"I promise," said Noxus.

"Very well, it started years ago when a man called Dr. Wells came to me with an idea; he needed my help in crafting the perfect being…"

"Samuel, I need your help, I can't orchestrate this on my own!" insisted Dr. Wells. The wizened old man was talking to another man in his 40's. This man wore dark glasses that helped him to see microscopic images better. The two of them were some of the most respected scientists in the galaxy.

Dr. Wells continued, "The SYLUX project is already done, I've selected someone to don the suit!"

"Well the Living Weapons Project isn't done yet! It isn't stabilized," said Samuel.

Dr. Wells laughed, "Didn't I tell you that power suits were better. The Artificial Intelligence used in SYLUX is incredible. I have been able to carry out conversations with the thing, and I've witnessed it teach itself new abilities. Just wait all I have to do is tell it to take down to the Galactic Federation and it will figure out the details on its own. The only thing that is stopping it is that it needs its true host, it isn't quite right without him."

"Eventually you will see that genetically enhanced super soldiers will replace battle suits, most people don't trust robotics as it is now days," said Samuel with a laugh.

"Well you know that we will never know who is right until you finish up, I am dieing to field test the SYLUX and I need the Living Weapons project for that. If you need I can supply you with the "volunteer"," said Dr. Wells, this is what he had been hoping to get to the whole time.

"I'm listening."

"My chosen host for the SYLUX armor has a brother, I could just let him die when I trick the Federation into destroying Cyclosis, but he appears to have a natural talent and I don't want to waste it, I think he would be quite useful for your experiment," Dr. Wells said.

"Well, do send him in," said Samuel. The two men parted ways shortly after and three months later he received news of two things, one that Dr. Wells had apparently been killed by his own experiment, and the other was that Cyclosis had been completely wiped out.

He roamed around his laboratory with nothing to do, now that SYLUX had failed he didn't have a reason to go on with the Living Weapons Project, the sad part is all he needed was someone to be the mutant and he would have finished. He was like that for days until he heard that there might be some survivors from Cyclosis. For lack of anything better and a sublime hope of finding the boy Dr. Wells told him about he decided to go and see if he could use any of the refugees. Putting one of his assistant scientists in charge he traveled to a planet on the edge of the Federations rule.

When he got there he found an orange looking ship with none other than Samus Aran and a bunch of sad looking people who were obviously the refugees. They're cloths were dirt coated and tattered, their faces defeated and broken. Samuel walked up to Samus.

The hard bounty hunter looked him up and down, "Can I help you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Samuel M. Nelson, I am a scientist. I heard that there were Cylosian refugees here," Samuel said carefully.

"Yes I am waiting for a few of my contacts to come and bring them to a safe place," She said.

"Yes but you don't understand, I was working on a project on Cyclosis and I brought my entire family with me. We were separated and I am hoping to find them with you. Please believe that you are my last hope," Samuel said with false emotion.

Samus looked at him carefully, "Very well you can look around for your family."

Samuel walked around looking for suitable candidates for the experiment. To his surprise a teenage boy no older than fourteen came running up to him.

"Dad!" He screamed with joy, "Dad, it's me Tyler!" he threw his arms around Samuel and whispered, "Get me away from here, I'm looking for my family,"

Samus looked at the two with surprise, "Well isn't that lucky."

"Yes, very lucky, where's mom Tyler?" Samuel said playing along with the boy.

"I'm the only one dad, I'm sorry," he said with false sadness.

"Well, I am glad enough to have you at least, come on kid, let's go home," Samuel said hoping to get away before Samus could be suspicious. He turned to the bounty hunter, "Please can I leave with my son?"

"Yes I don't want to keep you from you're reunion," Samus said.

"Thank you," Samuel walked away from her with his arm around his new acquaintance, Tyler, for added effect.

Later when they were flying away from the planet Tyler spoke up. "Thank you, she is a good person but I don't want to have narrowly escaped just to be killed by the federation later."

Samuel laughed, "I know exactly what you mean, Samus Aran is a skilled bounty hunter but I would imagine her amount of true friends is a little lacking. Anyone she would ask for help would be willing to betray her for a sum of money.

"I do have to say I was rather impressed with your quick thinking, I was hoping that you could help me with a little experiment, I can take you to your family after if you like" Samuel said .

Tyler laughed, "Mr. Nelson, there's no reason for us to lie to each other, I'm not leaving your laboratory once I get there, am I?"

Needless to say Samuel was shocked, "W-why would you think that?"

"It's in your eyes, when I came up to you I saw a greed in your eyes, I knew I would not be returning home. But I will tell you this; believe that I won't be killed at your hand. No matter what happens I am determined not to die, not at the hands of the Federation, and especially not by you!" Tyler said it so powerfully that Samuel had to believe him.

Samuel chuckled, "Well, as long as we understand each other," he said menacingly.

As they pasted beautiful buildings in silence Spire could not help but wonder if this was the last colony. The more he thought about it the more desperate he became to know; finally he just blurted it out, "Is this that last Diamont city ever?" he asked Gorval.

"Yes it is, but please have patience," Gorval said gruffly, "I will explain all you want to know as soon as we get to a more private place."

Gorval seemed to want that to be the end of it, so Spire asked no more questions. Instead he spent his time trying to observe the culture of his race. He marveled at how completely alien it was to him, a member of the same species as all these ordinary people going about their business.

Spire saw so many beautiful things. Children playing in the streets, shops selling food, all sorts of things that he found so new even if he had seen all it elsewhere.

Spire heard singing and when he turned his head he saw a beautiful house with an open window inside the window was a female diamont who couldn't be any older than himself singing a lullaby to a baby. Moments later the husband came and put his arm around his lover. Spire could here a bit of the lullaby. It went:

"Come and rest your head, dear child of mine

The dark won't get you when you're in my arms

With peace in your mind you may dream well tonight

Remember loved one, you will always be in my heart"

Later when asked to recall it Spire always told people it was the one time anything ever felt right in the galaxy. Memories have a funny way, when they are recalled they tend to have a certain hue, bad memories often have an icy blue hue, but the good and beautiful ones somehow have a gentle golden hue, this memory of Spire's was a completely gold color.

Like most good memories it wasn't the actions that caught Spire's attention, it was the love that was so clearly shared between the mother, father, and child. It was something he wanted, more than anything he had ever wanted in his life.

As Spire stared at the family the woman turned to the window, when she saw Spire she just smiled, a smile of pure joy and warmth. Spire returned it, waved and ran after Trace and Gorval who had gotten quite far ahead of him. His stomach knotted from longing for the love that family had.

"We're here, at the council of elders," Gorval said. He stood in front of am old dilapidated building that was clearly built before any of these industrial buildings that surrounded it. It was made of rusting metal; it was so rusted through that you could see inside some of the corners.

Gorval walked up to a plain door, the kind that swings on hinges, a rarity in the galaxy nowadays, and knocked an odd beat onto it.

Someone from the inside opened it and Spire and Gorval were let in, but when Trace tried to walk through it rough hands grabbed him and threw him inside.

"Who invited the Kriken?" asked a rough looking diamont. When Trace first looked at him he thought he was crystal-less but at closer look the diamont had jet black crystals.

"Calm down Ashen, he is with me," Gorval said coolly, "But I don't blame you nevertheless." Gorval then proceeded to give a summary of their story in coming to Pyralan, as far as he knew it.

Trace tried with failure to keep his temper down he finally snapped and began yelling, "What, what is it! Why do you all want to kill me right away? Yes I am a Kriken, but I don't belong to the empire anymore so you can treat me just like anybody else!" he said fiercely.

Gorval yelled back even louder and fiercer, "YOU'RE MURDERERS! DID YOU EVER STOP TO WONDER WHY WE ARE A FALLING RACE?" Gorval fumed, "ITS BECAUSE THE KRIKENS! YOU DESTROYED OUR HOMEWORLD AND NOW WE ARE FORCED TO LIVE HERE! YOU KILLED OUR FRIENDS, AND OUR FAMILIES!"

Trace was taken aback, "I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to give my family back to me," Gorval said angrily.

Trace looked around helplessly, the entire council of elders, a good 20 or so Diamonts, were staring Trace down coldly. He looked at Spire, who had an uncharacteristic look of hate in his eyes.

"It was you?" he said, "You killed our people?"

"Yes, and he would jump at the chance to do it again, I believe," said a member of the council of elders.

"Okay, that wasn't me! I wasn't there, it's not my fault I was born, alright, I am truly sorry for what the Krikens have put you through but if you ask me, that was years ago, before I was born even. It's not my fault, so you can leave me alone," Trace said defensively.

Ashen, the black spiked elder, laughed cruelly, "If you want us to leave you alone you can just go home!"

Trace exploded, "I HAVE NO HOME! THE KRIKEN EMPIRE TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME AS WELL! At least that's something you have, and honestly, is there anybody here who can say they actually lived on the home world before it was taken?"

Trace appeared to strike gold here; it seemed there was nobody who could say they have lived anywhere but on Pyralan.

Then Gorval spoke, "I know only two living people who lived on the home world, I and my brother, Zeroun, who I have not seen for many years. He up and left one day not too long ago, I think he was sick of the poison that has been eating away at our planet."

Zeroun, Trace recognized that name, while he tried to think of where he had heard it before Spire gasped.

"I know him!" Spire said excitedly.

Gorval shared in his excitement, "Really, where did you see him!"

Spire's smile fell, "I'm sorry, he's working with the space pirates, he almost killed me and Trace, he had us captured but one of our friends saved us just in time. If he knows where your city is I'm afraid the Space Pirates know as well."

Trace joined in, "Of course how could I have forgotten! Remember spire, he said something about how the diamonts are meant to be a fallen people; he also mentioned some sort of prophesy."

Gorval had a stricken look on his face, "Please, tell me that you're lying."

One of the elders spoke to Gorval, "I don't know, he was pretty accurate with the prophesy. How could I have forgotten? It goes: In the darkest hour six will come, and as friends are made enemies, enemies become friends. When the prodigal son returns, that is when our people will be victorious. It seems as if your brother is the friend made enemy and the kriken is the enemy made friend. As for the prodigal son I think, it may be Spire, here. He was lost and now has found his people, which seems fairly prodigal to me."

Gorval looked away in defeat, "Very well, if Zeroun has truly betrayed us, it seems the time to prepare for battle is at hand."

"I think that would be wise, from what I have seen your city is very lacking in defenses do any of your people have any real military training?" Trace said.

"We don't need a Kriken criticizing us!" said Ashen in protest and more than a few of the elders agreed.

Spire then interrupted, "Forgive me Elders but I believe you are running out of options here. Trace is a skilled warrior and leader, I know from experience that if anybody can get you though this its Trace, and besides I know there is nobody in this entire city who knows as much about warfare as Trace."

Trace merely looked at the elders and smirked. Here was not a place he wanted to be modest.

The elders began whispering to one another, "Very well, we as the Council of Elders will make our decision in private, Gorval you will come and decide with us, but Spire and the Kriken will wait have to wait outside," they said at last.

Spire and Trace bowed and left the building.

"What do you think?" asked Trace.

Spire took a moment to think, "It's going well," he said assuring.

"Ambush!" yelled Kanden as Magmaul fire poured all around him and Noxus. They fired their own weapons back at the hidden enemies. Kanden saw a dialanche rolling out in front of him and he fired a charged missile at it. The shot sent the dialanche propelling into the cave wall. It recovered from its hit and uncurled to fire a charged shot of the magmaul at Kanden. It hit the ground and exploded, fragments of it hitting Kanden.

Kanden wiped away hot magma from his head and ticked, "Your going to regret that friend." He unleashed a barrage from his volt driver that sent the corrupted Diamont to his grave.

Noxus was surrounded by the purple spiked Diamonts; he charged his judicator and froze all of them. He made quick work of them and gave a smug smile to Kanden.

"That thing is cheep," Complained the mutant.

As they walked further down the cave Kanden continued his story.

Samuel waited to try the experiment on Tyler, as it turned out Tyler was a natural scientist and an extremely cleaver kid. He caught on faster than most of Samuel's assistants and within a week he understood what the experiment was.

"You want to turn me into a super soldier don't you?" asked Tyler.

"Would you like me to?" Samuel asked with vague interest.

"I don't want to be a freak, the idea itself is very good, but it's just not for me," Tyler said seriously.

Samuel laughed, "Unfortunately for you when the time comes you don't have much of a choice."

But the time never came, Samuel was growing fond of Tyler and he kept making excuses to put off doing the experiment. In their time together Samuel discovered that Tyler was the brother of Sylux, the feared being who had begun terrorizing the Galactic Federation, just how Dr. Wells had planned. Of course Tyler didn't know his brother was a feared being, or at least he couldn't admit the truth even to himself, Samuel had discovered that out on his own through reasoning.

Tyler soon found out many of the things that went into the experiment, the most dangerous animals, deadly tactics, powerful energies, many and many other things were going into this project, including himself eventually.

Soon the Kanden project (Tyler was the one who named it, after his pet pamat on Cyclosis) was so fine tuned it would have impressed every scientist living in the galaxy. Tyler had found himself so engrossed in the project he partied with the rest of the scientists working on it, until he remembered he was to be the one who became the Kanden.

It was the night before the experiment and Tyler found himself restless he went to get a drink of water when Samuel appeared from behind and stopped him, "it is of utmost importance that you do not eat or drink anything for twenty-four hours before the operation, if not you could die." Tyler headed his warning with graveness, but in the morning he forgot and began eating a fruit, realizing what he had done he ran to Samuel and the scientists.

When Tyler told Samuel he looked at him in anger, the kind a parent would have if their kid had done something extremely dangerous, like jump off a cliff. He told Tyler it would have to do and they were still going to go through with the experiment.

"But you didn't," interrupted Noxus.

"No, I couldn't let him die, he was like a son to me," Kanden said.

It was just minutes before the operation and Tyler was despairing. Samuel knocked on the door to his quarters.

"Go away," Tyler said annoyed.

"I'm coming in whether you like it or not," Samuel said and used his master key to unlock the door.

"You're not my father, stop pretending you are!" Tyler said fiercely, he had spent a lot of time thinking about the family he would likely never see again.

"I know I'm not your father, I'm your friend, and that's why I won't make you go through with the experiment," Samuel said.

Tyler lit up, "Really? But won't the other scientists be angry?"

"Yes, but I will find a way," Samuel handed Tyler a fake Identification Pass and a transport pass, along with GF bills, "That ticket will take you to the planet Yannat, and with the ID nobody will ever suspect you are from Cyclosis."

Tyler looked at the gift with joy, "Thank you so much!" he said.

"You had better leave now, before it's too late," Samuel said warmly.

Tyler walked towards the door, "I will never forget your kindness," He said teary eyed and ran off.

Later Samuel was in trouble for letting Tyler escape. The scientists were trying to figure out what to do.

"We are going to have to find a new host," said one.

"But then we will run out of time," said another, they all kept arguing until Samuel got sick of it all.

"I will do it!" he eventually said. His fellow scientists were shocked into silence.

"But you haven't fasted for 24 hours!" said one scientist.

"I will take that risk for the Kanden project," Said Samuel.

And so they did the experiment on Samuel, Samuel had just one request, that they take all his memories away from him. The scientists relented since they had the technology to do that. They did the experiment and it seemed that it was a success, but then everything went wrong.

"He isn't stable; he could die or go insane from the information overload," one scientist observed, most of the scientists agreed and got to a safe place in the laboratory for fear of what Samuel could do.

Kanden awoke. He was in some sort of glass tube with a strange liquid in it. Just above him he could see Kanden wrote backwards. Kanden wanted to get out of the liquid, so he did what his desires told him to do. He smashed his fist through the glass and broke through. He looked up and saw a large mirror and knew instantly it was two way.

The other scientists watched in a horrified silence as the creature they knew as Samuel walked towards them and after a moment smashed his fist through the glass. He punched and punched at the mirror until it was smithereens. He looked at the terrified scientists as they cowered at his feet.

He walked up to them and spoke, "Where can I find ammunition?"

They hastily told him, "Thank you," said Kanden then he transformed into the Stinglarva and laid a bomb. The scientists let out a scream as the bomb slithered towards them. There was a loud explosion and Kanden slithered away from the corpses.

It took him a short while to get himself outfitted with ammo, and then set up a powerful time bomb using the fuel from all dead scientists' ships. Kanden turned into the Stinglarva and fled the premises. When he was a sufficient distance away Kanden turned into his biped and waited.

He didn't have to wait long, there was a deafening explosion from behind and he knew he had succeeded in destroying all evidence of his existence. He then laughed; it was a terrible, sinister laugh, a sound that only a killer could make.

Sylux and Weavel were walking through a hallway towards the control center. Samus had already been put in a cell to await her fate. They stopped at a door and Weavel said to Sylux, "you need to be patient, you will have your chance to kill Samus, but first my leader wants to meet you."

"Very well, show me in Robocop," Sylux said scornfully. Weavel shook his head and typed something into the door pad. The door opened in a circular motion and Weavel let Sylux in past him.

The room Sylux entered was circular and a line of windows ran all along the sides of it. Sitting beneath the line of windows were a line of computers with a few Space Pirates controlling them.

Sitting in a pivot chair in the middle of the room was a large dragon, Sylux knew him right away to be Ridley, one of Samus' greatest enemies. Sylux cautiously walked up to him.

Ridley spoke first, "Hello Sylux, I have been waiting a long time to officially meet you, of course we met that one time on the Kriken world, but our meeting was very brief. So I will take your hand," Ridley forcefully grabbed Sylux by the hand, "and tell you my name is Ridley and I am pleased to meet you."

Sylux was amazed how well Ridley inspired fear into you, he swallowed and replied, "Likewise,"

Ridley smiled a cruel smile and said, "You have come at a good time, come and watch with me while we wait."

Sylux afraid to disobey walked with Ridley and spoke as they stopped at one of the windows, "Wait for what?" he asked.

"Just watch, you will see." He said.

Sylux did wait for a time but he got bored and asked Ridley a question, "I actually was hoping to torture Samus a little before I killed her," he said, "Would you mind If before the night is out I did some damage to her, I really need a piece of information she has, its crucial to taking out the Galactic Federation."

"Oh, by all means, yes, nothing would please me more, you know I am beginning to quite like this guy," Ridley said.

Great, thought Sylux tiredly.

When Trace and Spire were finally aloud to return inside the rotting building. When they went in this time the room was nearly completely dark.

"Spire, ranger from who has traveled the galaxy and Trace, Kriken warlord who is now exiled from his own people, you have been summoned to hear our reply to your request to train the people for battle," said a voice Trace recognized as Ashen's.

"At great length we have decided to allow you two to train the people," Gorval's voice sounded.

"Yes!" the two hunters clasped hands and cheered.

"Your task begins right away, Gorval will summon the people to a section of the wall and there you will tell them of you plans yourselves," Ashen continued.

"We will do as you have asked," Spire said.

Later Spire and Trace were on top the great wall of Anemen, Spire was getting dizzy looking down at the great gathering of the entire population of Anemen. Trace was just fine with the height; he was used to sniping from heights such as this.

Gorval stood with them, "You can speak now Trace, we will broadcast you through a screen and speakers in the crowd."

Trace cleared his voice and began, "Um, I know you all probably don't want me here, but I have something to say. Everyone in this city hates my people because of the evil deed that they did so long ago. We forced your fathers to move to this planet and it was hard one your entire race, but if you don't listen to me now you will be forced out of your homes by another invader, the Space Pirates. Even now they plan to eradicate you all or make you their slaves just as they have been doing this whole time."

Trace paused to see what the effect his speech was having on the Diamonts, they seemed fairly moved, "I say the time has come to fight back, no more running, and no more pretending everything is okay while you live out the rest of your lives in this city. I was once your enemy, but now I bow down…" Trace bowed hoping that the crowd could see it well enough, "to you and I pledge my life to the salvation of this people. If you will let me, I will teach you how to save yourselves."

Trace stopped, he had no more to say. Spire gave him an encouraging smile, "It was good," he said softly.

Then there was clapping, it started with a few people, but by and by more joined in, until the entire crowd was cheering in his support. It reminded him of another crowd at another time, on another planet, except the person being cheered for was very different, "Eat your heart out, Skule," Trace said to himself quietly.

The slope of the cave Kanden and Noxus walked down began to taper out. "We are nearing our destination," Kanden said.

"So we are," Noxus said and then looked at Kanden, "you know, there's just one thing that bothers me about your story, you were named after some kid's pet? Doesn't that make you feel stupid, I mean, it sort of take away from your evil appearance, it's like, 'oh no here comes Kanden' 'Oh I wouldn't worry, someone with a pet name can't be real bad'."

Kanden just looked at Noxus and started laughing. It was a kind laugh, very unlike the sinister one he used to have.

Over the years Kanden would become one of the most feared bounty hunter across the galaxy, he accumulated a hefty sum of money form his various clients, which in turn was used to create more havoc.

But not even Kanden knew that his very existence was part of a much greater scheme, and the grandmaster of that scheme had planned all along for him to meet his own creation: Sylux. They were meant to be each others greatest rival and together, whether by accident or on purpose Dr. Wells hadn't cared, they would destroy the Galactic Federation.

If only the two had met for the first time in a different place than the Almbic Cluster, then Dr. Wells plan might have gone as he had wanted before he died. But there were five other hunters there that had managed to somehow or other bring out the humanity in both the killers, and through and through both of the hunters have become better people, more willing to help others and care for more people then themselves. But still, the past is done and Dr. Wells likely made a huge mistake by having the two meet there.

Sylux strained his eyes and ears expecting something to pop out suddenly. He finally heard a siren go off and heard a muffled voice yelling into a megaphone. Then he saw a sight that left his jaw dropped. Rows upon rows of Space Pirates were marching towards a large gate that was being pulled open.

Hundreds of thousands of Space Pirates were marching. Hundreds of ships took off and flew in the same direction as the Space Pirates were marching. Space Pirate tanks and other weapons of war rolled along the sides of the army. It was a truly terrifying sight.

Ridley looked at Sylux, "This is the beginning of the end Sylux, the Diamonts will be eradicated by noon tomorrow, after that you will have an opportunity to kill Samus."

Sylux nodded absentmindedly, "Sure thanks," he said, not ever tearing his eyes off from the huge army. He had to tell the other hunters.

Weavel appeared on the other side of Sylux and watched as the army went out, "When do you want me to join the battle, sir?"

"Your time will come, Weavel, have patience." Ridley said.

The army marched on with one goal in mind: Destroy Anemen city and all who inhabit it.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29,

It was five after 9:00 P.M. from the spot Sylux and the Space Pirates were on Pyralan. Ridley was escorting Sylux to the holding cell where Samus was being held. Sylux wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings but he noticed a few things, one that this Space Pirate facility seemed to have a green hue, but that was likely from the lighting. The other was that through the windows throughout the hallway the Pyralan night sky was tainted a crimson red, the color of blood, and the ground would soon be spilled with that same color later on… assuming diamonts even bled, Sylux mused.

Ridley looked at Sylux with suspicion; he naturally didn't trust him, which was due to his long years of fighting. But still, he wasn't too worried, Sylux was just a tool, and he would be thrown away when he lost his usefulness.

"You will be permitted ten minutes, and I hope you use them… wisely," Ridley said with a sly look, he knew exactly what Sylux would be using the ten minutes doing, and he almost pitied Samus.

Ridley pressed a few buttons on a key pad near the cell door. When he finished typing the code in the door opened and Sylux walked through. Ridley made sure the door was closed before he beckoned a patient Weavel out of the shadows where Sylux had never even looked.

"You know you can't trust him, he will try to withhold some sort of information from us, have you considered that he may be on the same side as the diamonts, especially if it's true that there are other hunters with the diamonts."

"Weavel, what if I was to tell you that he and Samus have been spending a lot of quality time together," Ridley stated plainly.

The two walked a path up to a room where they could spy on Sylux and Samus without their knowledge. Ridley continued while they walked, "We have been watching all air traffic on Pyralan, which is how we knew about the hunters in the first place; I can pinpoint all five of the enemy hunters exact locations, obviously Samus and Sylux are here. Before you found them we were watching them, whenever their ships were in the air, Samus and Sylux were traveling together, but when Samus' ship went down she join Sylux's ship."

"We know about the other two hunters because scouts just hours ago saw an unidentified ship go into Anemen they claim it to be owned by one, Spire, our little spy Zeroun identified his ship. He told us that we can expect a Kriken warrior named Trace to be with him, perhaps with a Vhoson, but he wasn't sure about the Vhoson," said Ridley, feeling very smug about knowing all this.

"What about Kanden?" Weavel asked bored.

"Who?"

"Kanden, he was one of the seven bounty hunters in the Almbic cluster, if the other six, including me, are here, it seems that he should be too," Weavel said.

"Oh…"

"You have no idea-,"

"Go, find him quick!"

Weavel was about to go but then he paused and turned back to Ridley, "It's strange isn't it? All the hunters, reunited once again, almost like fate isn't it?"

Ridley turned his back to Weavel and stormed into the surveillance room. Weavel chuckled, he knew he had hit a sore spot on Ridley and nothing pleased him more. He went up to the control room.

Ridley stepped into the surveillance room; it had old but still useful LED screens all around. They were all tuned to the same channel, Ridley looked at one and what he saw shocked him. Samus Aran was on the ground, all cut up and bloody, with Sylux standing over her. He was screaming something about someone named Tyler Harrison.

Horrified Ridley flew down the hall way and quickly opened the door to Samus' cell.

"WHERE IS HE? YOU KNOW!" Sylux screamed and kicked Samus. The female bounty hunter cried out in pain as Sylux's foot crashed into her stomach, the fact that Sylux was wearing armor and she wasn't made it all the worse.

Acting quickly Ridley grabbed Sylux and slammed him into the wall. The dragon was thrice the size of Sylux, even if he had armor on.

"WE WANT INFORMATION, IF SAMUS IS DEAD WE DON'T GET ANY."

Sylux was clearly crazed by hatred, "LET ME AT HER, SHE KILLED HIM! I KNOW SHE DID!"

Ridley dragged Sylux out of the room and set him down, "You're out of line, Sylux. The agreement was that you could kill her by noon tomorrow and you would question her tonight."

"Well, maybe I'm not satisfied with that agreement! I haven't waited over five years for that moment just so you could come and save her, I thought you hated her just as bad as me!" Sylux said angrily.

"Yes, but I know when to hold back, did you get any information tonight?" Ridley asked fuming.

"I would have if you waited a little longer," Sylux tore himself away from Ridley's grasp and walked down the hall.

"Where are you going, I haven't dismissed you!" Ridley yelled.

"I'm no Space Pirate," Sylux said and continued walking.

Sylux called his ship and waited for it to come. As he waited he heard a voice in his head.

emThat was beautiful acting/em, the SYLUX armor told him.

"I'm afraid it wasn't all acting," Sylux said ashamed under his breath, "it awoke old anger and hatred. Is that what you wanted?"

em I could care less how you feel about Samus Aran, my old hatred for the Federation was more or less programmed, and that specific program is deteriorating./em

"You told me before that you had a spiritual awakening, is it all the same? What do you mean programmed?" Sylux asked, he was feeling more confused than he had ever felt.

The Delano 7 appeared over the horizon and shortly after it was floating by Sylux. The SYLUX armor said, emI will explain all after we save you, Samus and this entire planet, agreed?/em

Sylux paused, despite the suit telling him he was just acting in Samus' holding cell, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed causing Samus such pain, and that was what made him feel so terrible.

Sylux walked into the ship and flew off to a nearby plateau where he could spend the night in safety. Sylux turned his ship into security mode, the ship would alert him if there was any danger, and he took off the armor. SYLUX came off without a complaint, which further confused Sylux. Did Sylux really hate Samus? One the one hand, she was a kind person who did what she thought was best, but Sylux couldn't help but feel that it was her fault that his brother was lost. She did take Tyler away from him when he was trying to get him back.

In reality Sylux knew in his heart that it was his entire fault. He was the one who had scared Tyler into running away when he killed the Galactic Federation Troopers, Sylux just couldn't accept the truth, and until he did, he would never get anywhere in his search.

Sylux chose not to think of such a sore subject any more, he called Spire on the Ethercom.

Spire was standing in front of a few thousand Diamont warriors. They looked at him as a god, someone who could teach them how to defeat the Space Pirates.

"I have a lot of experience with the magmaul; it has been my main weapon for as long as I have been a bounty hunter. It's usefulness…" Spire went on. As he spoke Trace stood atop the wall with the black spiked diamont elder named Ashen. Ashen was already a talented warrior and also the youngest elder on the council so he didn't need the basic training that Spire was offering.

The two patrolled on top the wall observing the landscape for any blind spots or points of weakness they could be. Despite it being the dead of night, the two had plenty of light from the moat of lava surrounding the city.

"While the lava would be a natural defense against Space Pirates, if they ever come, aren't you afraid of the psycho lava hands coming to attack you guys?" said a curious Trace.

Ashen smiled, "A very good question Kriken-,"

"Stop calling me that!"

"-A good question with a good answer. Look to the north what do you see?" asked Ashen.

Trace looked there was a long glowing red line of lava, it was a flowing river, Trace told Ashen that was what he saw.

"Indeed, but do you perhaps see a dark line separating the river from our lake here?"

"Yes,"

"That's a dam; it was created by our people for the very purpose of keeping those vile veins out of our lava. It is completely safe."

"What if it is broken? What will you do then?" Trace asked worriedly.

"There is only one way to destroy it that I am aware of, a diamont must be willing to shatter his own crystals (I'll have you know that our crystals are extremely difficult to shatter), load a shard into his arm cannon, go underneath the lava and fire it into a weak spot in the dam; for there are only a few substances that can stand the heat of lava on this world, that is the dam we created, and us. Also, our crystals are the only things hard enough to break the dam," Ashen said, "and it is so unlikely that any diamont would willingly break his own crystal that the odds of that dam breaking must be around 1000 to one."

"You sound pretty confident. Remember that there are millions of Phazon corrupt diamonts down there just waiting for a command from the Space Pirates," Trace said worried.

"I am a witness that Phazon weakens your body structure, despite the increased strength and agility of the corrupt diamonts they are easier to kill if you have not noticed."

Trace thought about that, "Oh, your right,"

"You see, Trace, that is why I believe we should worry more about aerial attacks…"

Meanwhile, as the two argued, down by the river was a gang of Space Pirates leading them was the commando: Cerian. He walked up to a red-spiked Diamont shackled to a rock. The diamont had a broken spike on his right shoulder.

"You're a thug and a villain, it is the greatest dishonor in the world, for a diamont to have a broken crystal!" complained Zeroun, the infamous diamont who betrayed his kind by reveling the location of Anemen, and just barely he had reveled to the Space Pirates the secret of how to break the dam holding back the Phazon corrupted veins of this planet.

"And you're a traitor; I'm not sure which I would rather be. It is time, as soon as you do this one task, you're free to go," Cerian said.

"You're lying, as soon as I break that dam you're going to want to find another use for me!" Zeroun said.

"Likely, but think of this, if you don't, I'll kill you," Cerian said cruelly.

Zeroun shot dagger eyes at Cerian, "Fine, my shot won't break the entire dam but it will put a fine hole through it."

"It's all for the better; that way your diamont friends won't know right away that the veins have broken through," Cerian said and undid his diamont companion's bonds.

As soon as he was free Zeroun took the red crystal shard and shoved it into his arm cannon. He walked under the river of lava and seconds later the Space pirates could feel a small shudder, and the river level behind the dam began to decrease largely as the level of the lake began to rise a little. Shortly after that Zeroun was running up the river slope chased by a vein covered in lava.

"Excellent job, Zeroun, now, let us return to the army, and tell them we were successful," said Cerian as the group tied up Zeroun and they all went the rejoin the Space Pirate army that was making its way towards the city.

Back inside the city Spire was taking a short break in his lesson. He took a deep breath and was about to go back to his lessons when he got a call on his Ethercom, it was Sylux.

"Sylux, this had better be important," Spire said.

"Actually, I was just hoping to say hi… of course it's important!" Sylux said annoyed.

Spire couldn't help but smile, "What it is?"

"You can wipe that smile off your face; the Space Pirates are sending an army to some Diamont city. It's going to be a massive genocide where they slay every last sane Diamont!" Sylux said urgently.

Spire tried to gulp down a large knot in his throat, "A-are you sure?"

"Positive."

"O-ok, I'll tell Trace."

Sullen but quickly, Spire climbed up a staircase to the top of the battlements and yelled for Trace.

Trace and Ashen came running towards Spire.

"What's with the stony face, Spire?" Trace asked, "Do you get it Ashen, because he's a rock and he has a worried look on his face."

Ashen merely looked at Trace as if he were a drunk at a church, and by the size difference between the two you might believe it. Trace looked away quickly, saying sorry as he did so.

"Anyway, Sylux just told me that there was an attack headed for the city, it was just as we feared," Spire said.

"You're sure?" Trace said.

"Unless there is another Diamont city,"

"There's not," Ashen said in dismay.

"I'll go check this out for myself. Spire, I'll need your ship to get across the lake of lava," Trace said.

"Don't be seen," was all that Spire said in reply.

Noxus and Kanden were now in the coldest part of the planet. They were far enough from the surface and yet still in the crust of the planet. They had no river of lava following them down to the heart as one had before; the river had long since branched off from their path. The only way the hunters could see was from the night vision in their helmets.

"Is it just me or is the cave getting smaller?" Noxus asked as he ducked under a stalactite.

"I think we should be turning into our alternate forms pretty soon," Kanden said. Sure enough a few hours later the two were in their respective alternates crawling through long networks of tunnels that looked as if they could have been made by worms.

There was a noise, Kanden and Noxus paused to hear it better. It was the sound of something slithering along the tunnels coming towards the hunters. Suddenly a giant vein came into view. When it noticed the two hunters (as strange as it seems that a giant vein could think) it advanced for the kill.

Kanden acted fast and released three tail bombs from his Stinglarva. They slithered towards the vein and exploded on it. The vein recoiled and quickly slithered away.

"It seems we are even closer to heart than I realized," Kanden said, "I expect we only have a few more hours to travel through these tunnels."

"Only," Noxus said in sarcasm.

Spire had gotten lucky. Old laser turrets had been found in the city and were now being mounted on the wall. They were the kind that was built for anti-air, with pivoting chair and everything. The diamonts had about twelve of them and they were now being mounted all along the length of the wall. They would be excellent against the assured aircraft the Space Pirates would use.

They had also found a weapon that Spire had never seen before it was called the Lava Cannon, and it launched a spray of lava at foes, Spire was dieing to try it.

Spire was just about to go get a load of ammo from the storehouse in the middle of the city when Ashen stopped him.

"Spire, look at yourself, your exhausted," Ashen said concerned.

"I'm afraid, Ashen," Spire said earnestly.

"Aren't we all? Ashen said, "I would not tell this to anybody, but our chances of victory are little to none. We simply don't have the manpower to fight against them."

At this Spire's ship came roaring above the two diamonts, Trace had returned. As the ship hovered above the ground and Trace jumped out of the cockpit.

"This looks bad, the army is camped about a mile off," was what he said as he walked up to them.

"Could you give us a little more elaboration, perhaps? Like, how large their army is," Spire said impatiently.

"Well, if you would like an image, the army could easily fill this city and the lake surrounding it," Trace said subdued, at which both Spire and Ashen swore simultaneously, Trace continued, "If you want a number I would say around… 300,000, give or take a few thousand, and that's just foot soldiers. I haven't even worked tanks and ships into that figure."

Spire was faint, "How many people do we have?"

Ashen's voice was dark as he said it, "10,000 at best,"

"We've already lost," said Spire in despair.

"Perhaps not," Trace said.

"What do you suggest?" Ashen asked Trace.

"Well, I know of some people who would come at the first mention of Space Pirate army," Trace said.

All three looked at each other and said all together, "The Galactic Federation!"

"How do we contact them?" Ashen asked.

Trace looked at Spire, and they nodded, "Sylux," they said together.

Sylux had tried to call Noxus and Kanden, but he couldn't get a hold of either. He didn't know this but they were so far underground that their Ethercom couldn't pick up any signals. He gave up and was about to go to bed until he received a message from Spire's Ethercom.

Spire explained everything, from the feeble defense the Diamonts were trying to put together, to the size difference of the two factions, and finally Trace's idea.

"No! I might as well turn myself into the Federation!" Sylux said incredulously.

Spire paused, Sylux had brought up a good point, "Well, I know this isn't the best option for you but it would be for the greater good, it's a risk I think is worth taking."

"Well, maybe I don't think so!" Sylux said.

"Please, you're the only one who can stop the Space Pirates now," Spire was pleading.

Sylux sighed, "We'll see,"

"Will he do it?" Trace asked.

"I don't know," Spire said worried.

Ashen looked at the others, "Well, the only thing we can do now is get a bit of much needed rest, Gorval will handle things while we sleep and if the Space Pirates attack while we are asleep than he'll wake us."

Eyes cast down, Spire nodded in agreement.

Nobody slept well that night, Sylux was tossing and turning worried about Samus and the Galactic Federation, Spire was having a nightmare about Anemen City in flames, Trace, being an extremely light sleeper, awoke every time a Diamont ran past preparing the city for defense against the invasion. Kanden and Noxus weren't even aware it was night as they traveled down the length of the vein created tunnels, and the further they traveled the warmer it got, they knew they were close. Countless more Diamonts and Space Pirates alike were dealing with the prospect that this may be their last night… ever.

When dawn came Weavel arrived at the Space Pirate army camp. It was a mess of people taking down tents and preparing for the war to come. When he passed various soldiers they stopped what they were doing and saluted.

Weavel walked up to a certain Space Pirate who was obviously a newbie private. When the Pirate saw Weavel he dropped a load his sack of personal belongings he had carried. A picture fell out of it and Weavel picked it up. On the picture was a family of Space Pirates.

"Is this you?" Weavel asked the private, pointing at the father in the picture. The private hastily nodded.

"Cute kids," Weavel said and threw the picture back at the private, who caught it.

"Tell me, soldier, who's in charge here?" Weavel demanded.

"Um… he's over there."

Weavel looked where the Space Pirate pointed. He was looked at Cerian, the Space Pirate Commando. Weavel walked towards him.

Cerian was busy looking over the battle plans, he didn't notice Weavel coming up behind him, and Zeroun, who was bound beside him, didn't care to point it out.

Weavel grabbed Cerian by to haunches and slammed him to the ground. "If it isn't my old friend, Cerian, does Ridley really think you could lead an army to war?"

Cerian stared blankly back, "Weavel?"

Weavel raised Cerian to his feet and after a moment the two were clasping each others arms, laughing like best friends.

Weavel chuckled, "Look at you, leading armies now, huh?"

"Well, what can I say, I'm just that good!"

"Meekness never was one of your strengths," Weavel laughed.

"And subtlety definitely isn't one of yours," Cerian replied with a smile, "Too bad, if you were a little less bitter and sarcastic Ridley might actually not hate you, then you would be here alongside me."

"As a matter of fact, Ridley, himself, sent me here to help you out, nothing against you of course. He says, and I quote: 'if you're such good friends with those hunters than you better be down there to!'"

"Typical Ridley," Cerian laughed, "I will be glad to have you, though, it'll be like we're back in the academy!"

Weavel nodded, "Definitely."

Cerian turned away from Weavel and yelled to the army, which was done cleaning up camp and was now assembling in their positions, "The time has come! We assault Anemen City this day!"

Trace was woken up the sound of someone yelling into the speakers, it was Gorval's voice. He looked up and saw Gorval standing before the entire army of Diamonts. He was making his final speech before the battle. Trace quickly woke Spire and the two of them joined the group.

"This is our final hour, the quiet before the storm. It is here we make our final stand." Gorval said.

He continued, "I'm not going to lie and tell you we're going to win. We are out-numbered, out-powered; we lack proper training for battle, and we have no form of vehicles or Ships to use against the Space Pirates."

"Where is he going with this?" asked Spire.

"I think I know, just wait," Trace said interested in Gorval's Speech.

Cerian continued, "Everything we have worked for relies on this victory! The Pirate code tells us never to be overconfident, so I will not assure you of victory, but remember this: We outnumber them at least thirty to one!"

"-But we have something the Space Pirates will never have: honor. It is a trait deeply imbedded into our souls and it is the trait that will help us survive the day. You see, the Space pirate may have the numbers, but we have the spirit! We are defending our lives, families, and homes. That will give any man a strength he never knew he had," Gorval was saying with a power that made you believe his words. He was a natural born leader.

"Now, follow me, men! Together we shall rid the planet of this scum!" Cerian said and began marching north, the direction towards Anemen City. Close behind him was Zeroun, still bound, and Weavel, still bored. After them came the huge army, full of courage and pride.

Equally full of courage and pride were the Diamont survivors. Gorval's speech had filled them with a confidence that they didn't have before. They busily all went to their different posts.

Trace and a few hundred diamonts went to the top of the wall, Spire and his group was covering the mounted turrets, and Ashen was in charge of the troops on the ground. Everyone waited.

It was dead silent, there was a cough and a sniffle here and there, but nobody talked they just waited. Eventually there was a noise heard from the distance.

People began to talk excitedly as a sound that was like thousands of clapping hands was heard. As diamonts tried to scan the horizon looking for the oncoming army Trace used his imperialist to zoom in. Through the scope trace could see the army. The sound that everyone was hearing was the sound of all the troops marching.

Trace examined the army looking for weakness in their ranks. Now all the diamonts could see the army and the whisper of all them behind trace was giving him a headache as he tried to examine the army. Trace spun around to tell them to shut up, and as he turned he saw something else in the skies. Hundreds of Space Pirate troopships and interceptors were headed at top speed for Anemen city.

"SHIPS!" Yelled Trace and fired his imperialist in the direction of the incoming starships. Of course it didn't hit any of them but that wasn't what Trace was aiming for.

Spire heard Trace through his intercom and saw the beam of the imperialist. Spire told his troops over the radio where to aim.

The ships arrived at lightning fast speeds. The interceptors fired a barrage of missiles at the turrets and they returned fire. The interceptors twisted and turned back the direction they had come from. Through the smoke their barrage had created Spire had seen the troopships dropping off their load of Space Pirates.

"Trace, they're on the wall!" he cried.

Trace was already aware of this as he shot a Pirate through the head. His men quickly took the Space Pirates down.

"Well, it's begun," Trace said. The army was so close now they're shapes could be made out with the naked eye.

Trace's troops made surprisingly short work of the Space Pirates. The new lava guns helped a lot


End file.
